


Ben 10 X Worm SI Quest

by soundlesssteps



Category: Ben 10 Series, Worm - Wildbow
Genre: Action/Adventure, Conflict of Interests, Dark, F/M, Other, Quest, Randomness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-19 14:00:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9444245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soundlesssteps/pseuds/soundlesssteps
Summary: As the title says, this is a Ben 10 X Worm quest with a self insert main character. This story uses randomized numbers to determine the chances of the selected aliens being used, which alien is used if it is randomized, if a new alien will be unlocked, and what that alien will be. I, like the real Ben 10 will have to adapt to dangerous scenarios where getting the right tool for the job isn't always a certain thing.Rape and Underage warnings for tangential descriptions rather than direct descriptions.





	1. 1-1 Genisis

 

 

 

 

**(Apologies to Fanfiction and AO3 readers for any starting confusion. I blame their Terms of Conditions/Rules & Guidlines. Check out Space Battles or Specific Velocity for the full picture.)**

**The probability votes of both sites came up to 6, 2, 5, and 5 at the time I reached the transformation for this chapter; so 1/2 will be the chance of randomness here. Keep in mind that you can change your vote at any time.**

**There were a number of votes for an alien you guys wanted to see. Snare-oh, Gravatack, snd Clockwork got one vote. Way Big and NRG got two. One silly guy voted for Ghostfreak (until he changed it), but the winner with a whopping double digit votes was Big Chill. (Laughs evilly.) I have plans for him, provided that the unlocking conditions are met.**

**Now this isn't being beta-ed and likely won't be. I prefer to let you guys handle that. If errors trouble you, give it a day.**

**[X]Story begins New Years Eve 2010**

**Time: Dec. 31, Friday 9:32 AM**

**Location: Brockton Bay, E88 territory**

 

Cold air nipped at a young man's skin, forcing him awake in search for the blankets that were certainly thrown off him in some kind of midnight fit. With being a morning person only requiring a small application of will, he quickly sat up and took in his surroundings: six to eight story buildings bordering an alley that led to sparsely populated streets, broken up by pockets of snow. It was not a not a small sparsely decorated room in a southern home co-owned by him and his married brother; even though he was the one who handled the down payment. Not that this detail was ever important, especially at the moment.

 

The sight of an unfamiliar city where there should be some part of small town suburbs left him frozen in place, his brain blue screening at the incomprehensible facts before him. "What! The! Fuck!"

 

After that universal error message, his priority quickly shifted to the winter chill. His jacket was thankfully thick, but was just as unfamiliar as the rest of his fucked up situation. He did not own a black jacket with thick green stripes down the center and his arms. Even his shoes were different, being white with green lines forming an hourglass type shape on the sides. "Okay, enough checking myself out. I'm not figuring this out standing around, doing nothing. At least I'm not chained up somewhere and being experimented on."

 

He moved to stuff his hands into what he assumed to be his new jacket, (because who else's could it be) and froze again when he noticed something on his right arm catching on the pocket. "And what is it this time?" he grumbled out. Felling that he was one unpleasant surprise away from a complete meltdown, he pulled his sleeve out from over the offending object to find what looked like a very familiar white and green watch with an hourglass symbol outlined by two green angles and the time of 9:36 displayed on the black face.

 

It looked like the goddamned Omnitrix from Omniverse, and was freakishly realistic on top of that. He stretched and flexed his wrist, only feeling slightly disturbed by how comfortable it was. He hated watches simply for being even a minor encumbrance, but this one barely added any bulk. It felt secure, as if tied tightly into place, yet it didn't pull at his skin even a little. With the cold completely forgotten, he ran his fingers across it, unintentionally swiping away the time display and showing what looked like the universal, or at least planet wide symbol for a phone. "Right, a fancy phone watch that looks just like the Omnitrix. Why not?"

 

He continued looking at the watch, tapping the symbol to see if it came with a keypad. What he got was something a fair bit more creepy. "Please state the number you wish to call." said a feminine robotic monotone coming directly from the watch. After a few moments of internal complaint at the seemingly voice exclusive interface, he decided to try out his own phone number.

 

Unsurprisingly, it connected and began ringing. Far more surprising was that someone with an unfamiliar voice had answered. "Who the fuck is this?! Don't you know how fucking early it is?!"

 

He was stupefied for only an instant before he blinked it away and ended the call, only to realize that he should have told him 'wrong number' before hanging up. He shook away the small amount of discomfort at the minor faux pas and began calling every number he knew, which turned out to be a very small list. Either way, the result was much of the same with varying levels of rudeness coming from the other end of the line. It was confirmation that the phone actually worked, but it didn't answer any burning questions of where his family was or where he was. Even going as slowly as he was, everything was piling on too quickly. Only his highly logical tendencies were keeping the young man from freaking out.

 

He turned his focus back on the mysterious watch with his curiosity being the only thing keeping him sane at the moment. Running his fingers along the side revealed a small button on the lower edge of the face. With a pit of nervousness anticipating some ridiculous moment of truth, he clicked it. The face sprung open and a circular dial rose from the center. However, the most damning change was was a lime green holographic ring that hovered over the device.

 

Within the ring's borders were 10 very familiar faces: those of the original 10. Something about it seemed off...different from what he remembered. Still, the holographic image was far beyond anything he would expect to see on current technology. Taking a moment to look down the two streets a to see if anyone had taken notice of him, he ducked into a corner of a dumpster with his back to the visible street so he could finish figuring it out privately.

 

After learning that the ring wasn't made of hard light, because that would have been _too_ ridiculous, he turned the raised dial and watched in glee as the ring rotated with it. From there, he knew that there was only one test left, one that began with a massive decision.

 

After some thought, what he wanted boiled down to not being seen. He knew Ben 10 was more than popular enough to trigger memories in anyone under thirty, so there was little doubt that seeing one of Ben's aliens in real life would stir all kinds of shit. He had some doubt if it would work, but he saw more than enough to engage a better safe than sorry policy. That left two choices, four if he included being extremely fast or being a giant amorphous blob, but being really small or invisible trumped both of them in stealth. It was difficult to decide since he'd have to figure out _how_ to turn invisible, but the other option just didn't have the same cool factor. When the cold made itself known again and he remembered a little tidbit about how size affected heat loss, the choice became a hell of a lot easier. Plus, Ghostfreak was awesome.

 

He turned around with his arm hidden and watched the street long enough to know for sure that none whom passed by had paid him any mind. With a smirk, he knew just what to say before pressing the dial. "I'm going Ghostfreak."

 

  
1/2 Roll=2 - Success.

 

The transformation was indescribable, but not for the typical reasons. It just happened so fast, there wasn't enough time in the in between stage to even begin to process it. Ghostfreak looked at his hands with his single eye and felt some unexpected relief at seeing the gray protective second skin that looked to have been ripped at the tips and hung off his bony claw tips in wispy tatters. He began to will himself invisible and immediately began to feel his body begin to disassociate itself _from_ itself, for lack of a better description. As he reached halfway, a sudden screech drove him to accelerate the process and shift his eye to focus on a short and mousy/cute woman pushing a baby carriage.

 

They stared at one another for an appreciable moment, or a least he did while she stared was what looked to be a random dumpster at the moment. Even so, every instinct and experience she had warned her to be ready for whatever that apparition was. She refused to believe that it was a figment of her imagination; that kind of thinking led to careless mistakes. She couldn't afford those, especially with her baby potentially on the line. Unknown to her, Ghostfreak had already started flying towards the shore the moment that he noticed her getting defensive. Floating well above where anyone could be expected to hear him, he started giving himself a verbal lashing. "What was I thinking?! I was supposed to turn invisible right away! Now I've probably traumatized some poor mother! She probably thinks I'm going to attack her baby... _if_ she didn't recognize me. I honestly don't know which is worse."

 

"And what am I doing?! I wake up in a strange alley, in strange clothes, with a _working_ Omnitrix! I need to find somewhere to hide so I can _**freak**_ the fuck out!" He flew towards the docks, an abandoned warehouse well away from any busy sections of the city catching his eye. "Pun not intended!" he exclaimed after realizing what he said just a few moments earlier.

 

He flew through the sides of the building without a second thought then began floating through and between rooms while ruminating on his situation with his eye closed, only occasionally mumbling out loud. It was only by pure chance that he heard some whimpering as his phased into a pitch black room, which posed no problem for his Ectonurite vision. Shocked still, he opened his eye and saw four teenage girls. The Asian looking one could possibly pass for a pre-teen. Two of the others were of African descent and appeared to be in their mid-teens while the single Caucasian girl was somewhere in the middle age-wise. Despite the pitch blackness, all of the _ethnic_ individuals were looking with expressions that were two parts terrified, and one part defiant. The defiant older girl held the Caucasian in her arms, drawing his attention to the shuddering girl who was the source of the whimpering he heard. While the older two had torn and dirty clothes and the youngest was nearly pristine, _she_ was barely decent with bruises forming on her stomach, arms, and neck. "Who? Did? This?!"

 

His voice was hollow, raspy, and echoing all at once. His four clawed hands cricked and cracked as he clenched them tensely. Had he not been so enraged, he would have noticed his affect on them. "I asked...who did this?"

 

The strongest of them steeled her eyes, but was betrayed by her shuddering grip on the other girl. "W-who's there? You a cape?"

 

Ghostfreak's fiery rage was doused by the deluge of thoughts and implications that one last word brought to his mind. Even with his present state of being, it fell too far outside his worldview for him to be comfortable with. Only the much greater priorities sitting right in front of him kept him focused. "Yes, I'm a superhero."

 

With that declaration, the tension in their bodies dropped by half. "It's the ABB. There still here in the building somewhere."

 

... "Then I'll pay them a visit," he said after a long pause, adding a hissing tone to the last word that lasted for five seconds too long.

 

"Hey! Who are you?! Aren't you going to let us out?!" she yelled into the black void...but he was already gone.

 

**Time: Dec. 31st, Friday 9:47 AM.**

**Location: Docks/ABB territory, abandoned warehouse**

 

It was a good raid last night, a stroke of luck even. Such was Takoshi Kichirou's lot in life. It was even in his given name, meaning lucky son. There was certainly something divine involved when his parents chose that name. He may not have realized it until eleven years ago, a full third of his life before today, but he had truly been blessed.

 

Before Kyushu, he managed to rise quickly through the ranks as a member of the Yakuza at a very young age, something his current wisdom accredited to him always being in the right place at the right time to demonstrate the skills he was gifted with. It was when an _errand_ that he wanted no part in took him far away from Kyushu a mere day before the sea-serpent's attack that he was enlighten. His luck persisted, allowing him easy access to America's Brocton Bay, where he was able to run a decent group for many years under the noses of The Protectorate, The Teeth, E88, and even The Nine during their short visit. When the E88's noose inevitably found him, _He_ appeared. From there he advanced easily through the ranks of the united ABB and took the position he coveted most of all.

 

Today's _merchandise_ was just another small point in his favor. While the older two were more in lime with his usual finds, the other two were special. The Chinese brat's parents were too far back on their payments, which left paying the price to the kid. He barely had to yell at them to get them to stop begging. She may have been off limits for the moment, but the Geisha would have her trained before the next year was up.

 

The Immaculata bitch was the real source of his good mood. Breaking her in was cathartic, especially after he heard her apologize to her parents for some reason. The following chorus of 'I'm sorry daddy' was perfect. The little bitch probably ran away from home after not getting the presents she wanted or something asinine like that. It wouldn't have surprised him if she was connected to those Nazi scum either. In fact, she more than likely had this coming.

 

Feeling self-assured in his path in life and wanting to get ready for another round, he went to see what his four compatriots thought of the other two. He took little time finding three of them grouped together in one of the larger inner rooms. "Where's Kyo?"

 

The largest one, a 180 cm mass of a man who's name escape Kichirou for the moment, barked out a laugh. "He said he had to take a _leak_." That elicited a short chorus of laughter. They all knew about his tendency to bang at the doors. It was a habit Kichirou encouraged and remembered him for. "He won't be long."

 

"Then let's swap stories as we wait, in preparation for new ones." That earned him some cheers and raised cans of bear. Basking in their adoration, he moved to join them at the solitary table. His mood remained strong up until the lights flickered just after he sat down. He glared up at the fixtures as if they personally offended him. He looked back down right on time for the lights to cut off. Kichirou pulled out his expensive tinker inspired phone (as opposed to a cheap burner) while one of the others pulled out the flashlight he insisted on carrying around. He'll be quietly smug about it for weeks. "Come. The breaker is this way," he said with authority.

 

They moved through the dark halls with silent purpose, broken only by the sound of shoes scraping harshly across the stone floors. The large man chuckled gruffly at that. "Sounds like Kyo got caught out."

 

The thought amused them for a moment before one of them suddenly yelped, driving the rest to laughs after the momentary shock. "Ha, ha. Let's see how you like it when a giant fucking rat runs up your leg." They only laughed louder before a cascade of boxes, glass, and cans from a nearby room stunned them.

 

Through the quiet, they could could hear the sound of claws against stone. "That's a big rat." The sound changed, to a high screech that was more like knives than claws.

 

Kichirou could see fear rising in his men and in himself, but he couldn't allow that. "Enough! We go! Now!" His command snapped them back into line, but the tension remained. Regardless, they proceeded with their guards up and hearts beating. Just as they reached stairs leading to their destination, the sound of a strong blow against aluminum paneling echoed up from the breaker room. A second passed, and it happened again. After five seconds and five bangs, Kichirou finally worked up his nerve. "Get in there!” They hesitated up until he reached for his gun. Being lucky didn't mean that Kichirou was a gambling fool.

 

All three went in with knives drawn, expecting trouble. After two more bangs, he heard yells of 'What the fuck!' 'Stop!' and 'Kyo! What are you doing?!' The familiar name drew him in time to see two of his men struggling to drag Kyo away from the fusebox, which had enough light on it to see the dent and fresh blood. Leaving Kyo to the others, he rushed to the damaged box. He opened the lid with some effort and found the contents destroyed as if someone took a bunch of swords to it.

 

He turned to see Kyo still struggling, his scrawny form giving two much larger men too much trouble. When they met eyes, he stopped for a tortuous moment and stared unblinking as blood oozed into his eye, then he went limp. "Boss. You might want to see this." The flashlight wielding man stood at the entrance with his flashlight on something he couldn't make out.

 

He got closer, idly noticing the other two setting Kyo down. It wasn't far before he could make out a blood red **1** written by the door. "Fuc..."

 

"PAY FOR OUR SINS!"

 

Kichirou panicked as Kyo screeched and latched onto his legs. He ignored the pain from his fall and scrambled back while trying to kick him off. A solid kick to the face knocked him out, leaving Kichrou panting. The others watched in wide eyed horror, looking only marginally better. He felt a pit of anger at their cowardliness only for it to shatter into terror as a greenish-gray smoke rose from Kyo's body then began drifting towards the flashlight wielding grunt. "Fuck this! You're on you're own!" He only spared the coward a glace, but the smoke disappeared in that instant.

 

With his heart feeling like a jackhammer, Kichirou's mind raced to fit the events in with his worldview. The answer was simple, but did little to alleviate his fears: Cape. What was he supposed to do against super powers. His only option was escape. "We're leaving."

 

"What about..."

 

"The coward made his choice, and the merchandise can rot. Lung needs to hear about this." With his piece said, the other two had no complaint. With some semblance of control, he led them out of the basement room and towards the nearest exit. A raspy howl and mannish scream echoed through the halls before suddenly cutting off, leaving only creaky and rustling noises that they were all too aware of. "Stay together. He's picking us off." He didn't care to hear any confirmation. They'd follow if they knew what was good for them.

 

Their pace slowed at the sound of mumbling, but it was only when they could see light trickling through boarded windows that they could make out the sound. "No where to go. No where to run. They're all blocked, every one of them. No escape, no way out. We're doomed. He'll get us. He'll get us all!"

 

Kichirou tuned the raving man out and, while giving him a wide berth, went to check the door. The 2 stabbed into the wall next to the door confirmed that distance was for the best. He checked the door and found it jammed shut, barely budging as he tried kicking it in. "Show yourself!

 

Shrill laughter coming from the formally rambling man answered him. He thrashed and shook violently in maniacal glee all while he began floating into the air, leaving Kichirou torn between trembling in fear and trying to decide if he should shoot him. He stopped, heaved a big happy sigh, and looked down at them with a too wide grin. "So you wish for me to show myself?" He...it chuckled and stood straight in mid-air. "You should be careful what you wish for." The man was thrown back violently, leaving behind a familiar greenish gray mist that quickly coalesced into a sickly green gray humanoid shape with long arms and an undulating tail. It had torn wisps forming patches all over its body, which was also cover in thick black seams that crisscrossed its form, broken only by an hourglass symbol on its chest. Kichirou pulled his gun and fired every bullet he had, but it might as well have been using a water gun. Its unnaturally bright green eye opened and began moving within the seams like a deranged train, making stops to stare at each of them for half a second. "Be careful what you wish for." It dived for another man, grabbing his face and dragging him kicking and screaming against the floor and into the dark. When the screaming stopped, the creature laughed. "And that makes three."

 

Two left...it was just him and the big guy. "What are you doing. Call in Oni Lee, call in Lung for fucks sake."

 

Had he not been relieved at the obvious solution, he would have smacked his self for missing it. He turned his attention to his phone that he had foolishly been using purely for light, then looked for the most important person he could contact. The call went through and the line rang once, twice, thrice, then a fourth time. "Leave message if important. Not important? Fuck off!" There wasn't time to leave a message. He tried again, to no avail. He was really beginning to lament the fact that his position didn't come with a direct line to their capes.

 

"Fuck this. I don't care who we get." Kichirou watched the other guy pull out his burner phone a was about to try again before freezing at the sight of a thick black and white stripped tentacle snaking its way out from the darkness. It shot out in a flash, wrapping around his arm. ”No! No, you won't take me." There was a stalemate between the two forces before four more shot out, muffling his screams and leaving Kichirou all alone.

 

He was trapped. It was playing with them. There was never a chance. Of course no one would answer him. Criminals weren't known for being morning people. This monstrous cape, because what else could it be, had them right were it wanted them from the very beginning. A spark of hope ignited in him when his phone began ringing. Not caring who it was, he pulled up his phone and saw that it was only a text message. A text with only one number in it: 4. He cracked, throwing his phone as hard as he could and backing up to sit on a small wooden crate. It took him seconds to realize that the maniacal laugh was himself and not the monster.

 

Seconds that felt like minutes passed before the creature's laughter joined his own. "Now now, don't give up yet. We haven't reached the climax yet." It appeared out of nowhere, arms splayed out as if trying to display its full horrific glory. "But first, let me slip into something more...comfortable." The 'skin' at its hand exploded, the torn cloth revealing long white bone claws which it used to dig into the seams of its body and pull them apart.

 

What was unveiled reached a new level of horror that Kichirou was completely unprepared to process. He idly took note of the patch of ribs showing through its gray skin, but his true focus was on the horribly misshapen one-eyed skull looking down on him with a sharp toothed smile. "Run," it hissed

 

And run he did. "Tick." He dashed into the first hall he came to, caring little for tripping over obstacles. "Tock." One big box sent him sprawling across the floor and turned him around. "Tick." It glowed an eldritch green, revealing that its head had turned completely horizontal. "Tock." its head turned further. "Tick." He scrambled to his feet, all rationality gone from his mind. "Tock." He spared a glance and saw its glowing upside down skull hovering in the dark. "Tick." It didn't make sense. How could his luck run out like this. "Tock." A new cape out of nowhere just happened to stumble upon him. Capes didn't come from nowhere. "Tick." He had an epiphany: the girls. One must have got powers. Kill the girls, kill the beast. "Tock." Their hold was nearby. He slammed into the door at full speed, ignoring their startled squeals and fumbling for his keys. "Tick." He found it and jammed it in the keyhole. When the door opened, his eyes zeroed in on the most obvious target: the Imaculata bitch. "Tock. Time's up." Everything, even his heart, stopped as claws materialized on the Japanese man's shoulders. He was slammed into the door frame an given only an inch between their faced. "You'll pay for your sins." It took its claws and jammed them into the side of his head. The last thing Kichirou saw that day was two massive entities indescribable by conventional physics, and even that much more pleasant image was scrubbed from his thoughts.

 

**Well...that was a ride. Fun fact, after the successful roll, I did a random roll to decide from the 10 despite wanting to start with Ghostfreak. It chose Ghostfreak. I also intended a simple store robbery, but my muse had another idea exclusive to Ghostfreak. This is the result. (Probably shouldn't have been playing Dead Space 2 alongside this.)**

**Big Chill is locked in for the first Soft Unlock, so I'm not accepting any more votes there. Check the poll and consider if what you picked is what you want for the next chapter. Otherwise, there will be no voting until a new alien is unlocked.**


	2. 1-2 Genisis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the MC gets himself set up and the heroes deal with the aftermath.

**Now that our MC has had his first opening step into heroism, he must find out whatever he can about this new world he finds himself in.**

 

** Time: Friday Dec. 31st, 10:00 AM. **

** Location: Shantytown abandoned warehouse ABB **

 

Had he actually needed to breathe, Ghostfreak would have been hyperventilating from the flood of adrenaline that his human body would have been producing in spades. Instead he floated over the comatose man figuratively and questionably dead to the world around him. In a fit of justified rage, he viciously terrified and injured five of the worst kind of criminals. They likely deserved what they got, but it wasn't something he ever expected to do before that very morning. He never expected to be able to turn into Ghostfreak either, but the former was considerably more important to him for the moment. He was sure he didn't kill anyone, but he could have at any point.

 

As Ghostfreak stared at his claws glowing with underutilized spectral energy, a high pitched gasp drew his attention back to the room where the reasons he did what he did were contained. Three of them were staring at him in horror tinged with a hint of uncertainty. The fourth was the Caucasian girl he couldn't get a good look at before whose eye showed uncertain awe, the other eye being swollen shut. He was able to make out remnants of thick black makeup around her lips and eyes. "Are...you a cape, or a ghost?"

 

After a moment of surprise, he chuckled at her question. "My kind prefer the term, Ectonurite." What uncertainty showed in her eyes faded away as the light of curiosity began to shine through, becoming laughably obvious in the gloom. He managed to hold up a glowing palm just in time to forestall any further questions. "Let me bring you to some light. I understand that humans don't fare as well in the dark as we do." Ghostfreak hovered away from the room, claws still glowing to give them a guiding light. He didn't get far before a fearful gasp drew his attention back to the barely decent girl, who was panicking at the sight of the unconscious man lying at her feet. The glow in his claws flared, pulling her off her feet and straight to him. "If he ever wants to touch you again, he'll have to go through me!"

 

After putting her down, she suddenly dove forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. He looked down at her in confusion, then back up to see the one she was formerly hugging glaring at him with a complex web of emotions on her face. "What are you going to do to us?"

 

Ghostfreak gently lifted the girl by the thighs and looked back at the older girl, making her flinch. "I'm going to contact your law enforcement, ensure your safety, then leave them to handle the rest. Now follow me or I'll make you follow." He turned down the hall but put his eye on his back to make sure none were left behind. Once they reached the same outer room were Ghostfreak dealt with three of the crooks, he tried to set the crying girl down, but she was having none of that. With a put upon sigh, he focused his attention back on the eldest. "Hold her till I return." He phased through her arms and used his telekinesis to grab the unconscious perp and carried him to the locked room, paying no heed to minor obstacles like solid walls.

 

He continued gathering the criminals until all five were safely under lock and key, while making sure to grab a phone to call 911. "This is the Brocton Bay Police Department, what is the nature of your emergency?" said a young woman with a level tone.

 

"Hello," he could practically hear the disturbed reaction to his voice, "I have five criminals and four victims here," he hissed out.

 

"I...uh. Are you a cape sir? Can you tell me your name and location."

 

And there was that term again. Coming from an Earth were superheroes existed only in stories, the reoccurring use of a word that could only be slang for superheroes was very concerning. "It's Ghostfreak, and I expected you to track this phone."

 

He could practically feel the awkward confusion the lady was giving off from his end of the line. "Sir, you should know that we aren't allowed to work with villains."

 

"Well it's a good thing that I'm a hero then," he snapped back at her with a level tone. "Now, do you still want that address?"

 

"I...yes sir."

 

"Then hold for a second." Having returned to the room holding the girls, he placed the phone on a tall crate and reached inside his self. He found it quickly and pulled, causing skin to explode from his chest and reform his protective layer while also making the rescued girls gasp. He sent his eye to look them over while flying outside with the phone in hand he grumbled at the back alleyway a bit before taking a direct route to the street corner nearest to the building's front. "Everyone is in the back of the largest warehouse at the corner of Marina Avenue and Bay Street. Is that all?"

 

"We'd like to confirm the condition of the victims. Either way, a PRT and Protectorate response are on their way."

 

And there was another set of unfamiliar terms. He was never good with anagrams, but he was sure that there weren't any police groups by the former name. Protectorate sounded more in line with superhero naming conventions. He decided to shelve that line of thinking as he returned to the lit storage room. The youngest had separated from the group and looked to have found the smartphone that the fifth thug had. The other three were huddled together well away from where they were imprisoned.

 

He floated over to them and handed the phone to the girl who had proven to have the strongest constitution. "They want to talk to one of you."

 

She shushed him harshly. "Hey, can't you see that she's sleeping." She glared at him, then at the phone, then back at him. "Can you take her without waking her up?"

 

Ghostfreak rolled his eye at her, which consisted of his eye moving around his head. "You aren't afraid of me," he stated plainly.

 

"Because compared to before, you're practically Casper now." Ghostfreak narrowed his eye at her then sent out a group of tentacles to cradle the sleeping girl. The other girl visibly restrained her reaction to a shudder. "Fucking freaky ghost cape." She took the phone from his hand and announced herself to whoever was at the other end as he chuckled at her reaction and tried to shape his self into a more comfortable pillow, requiring a tentacle for the best shape. "His name's Ghostfreak," she deadpanned suddenly, making him chuckle. "Oh, it fits alright."

 

The phone conversation continued from there. She answered a few questions about their well being before being pulled into a long conversation about what he was capable of and looked like. It didn't bother him so long as they didn't know about his weakness. The monotony was broken by the sound like a camera shutter from behind him. His eye moved until spotting the Asian girl using the thug's phone to take pictures of him. "What are you doing?"

 

She flinched at his tone but was otherwise unaffected. "I'm posting on PHO. I'm sorry...I'm supposed to ask permission first."

 

"Go ahead." Being in the public eye didn't bother him either. It may make him less scary in the future, but Ghostfreak was plenty capable without fear tactics. If nothing else, he had nine other options. Time passed as he kept his eye on the girls, including the one acting as a nonentity. The youngest tried to ask questions, only to get shushed into silence. It only took another minute before they could hear sirens in the distance, followed by a warning tone coming from the symbol on his chest. "Well, time to go." He set the girl down, who stirred from the movement. He then turned invisible and flew to the front, wanting to make sure that law enforcement was there despite the risk of changing back in plain view. What he found was a group of armored men in well armed vans. The most distinct individuals was an olive skinned woman wearing military fatigues and an American flag as a scarf with a Caucasian man wearing red spandex with racing stripes around his arms, legs, and forming a V over his chest. He was curious about what they were talking about, but he didn't know how much time his transformation had left. He quickly found somewhere close enough to populated zones to reach quickly while still being hidden. He finally changed back in a hidden corner and just sat to ponder his day. He stroked his chin and froze at being hit with another surprise. "What the fuck happened to my awesome beard?!"

 

**Time: Friday, Dec 31st, 10:26 AM.**

**Location: Downtown Appartments E88**

 

It took close to ten minutes before the Omnitrix signaled that it was ready for use again.  Most of that time had been spent thinking about the past hour, and what an eventful hour it was. The rest of his time was spent asking where the nearest library was. Everyone he asked only seemed to know about Brocton Bay Central Library, but it was one middle-aged woman's stray comment that was the real kicker. "And why is a kid looking for a library during winter vacation. Shouldn't you be enjoying your time away from school." He knew he always had a young face, but even shaved, he should have passed for a college-aged teen. Some details like a lack of hair were it should be and a speckling of acne over his right temple were painting a very uncomfortable picture. He wanted to find a mirror, but a library was higher up his priority list. It was fortunate that libraries were nearly certain to have decent bathrooms. That left the question of how to get there. One generous individual gave him some bus money when he thought to consider how he would reach the library, but the Omnitrix wielder hesitated to use up any of it. Fortunately, he had better options. After diving into a readily available abandoned alley, and dialed in his choice. He wanted speed and to learn the lay of the land, the later of which was easier for him to do not with a map, but by traversing the area personally. "Time to XLR8."

 

Votes: 20; 4; 10; 22

1/5 Roll=5 - Success

 

Partway through the transformation, XLR8's perceptions of time increased dramatically. He tried to process it at nearly forty times the speed of a normal human, but it still ended in a subjective two seconds. What he felt then was a near overwhelming need to move, to never stop. There was a big city to explore, and an unknown limit of time to do so. So he ran.

 

His first goal was the area were he encountered the rapists/kidnappers. That area, along with a good portion of the southeastern coast was covered in tags that were a stylized ABB made from red and green paint. Sometimes they covered a stylized M that lacked a color theme. In any direction away from this other than northwest, he saw tags of a stylized E88 using black and red paint. The most disconcerting part was that the two 8's reminded him of the Nazi swastika. The area he woke up in originally was an area with mostly apartment complexes and a large privately own hospital. The southern-central area of the city appeared to be the downtown area where most of the government buildings, non-distinct companies, a boardwalk type area near the coast, and of course the city's library. He went further west to find the rich people areas and parks and looped around north of the downtown area to find a middle-low class residential area with mostly two-story homes. Once he returned to the shore, in what looked like a dock area, he started seeing the ABB marks again with much fewer E88 marks forming a border. The further north he went form there, the more rundown it was with an increasing amount of M tags. Clearly the group that made them didn't have much in the way of standards. The most interesting thing of all was the oil rig out in the bay that was surrounded by some kind of energy bubble. He'll save that visit for Ripjaws.

 

Even while moving at subsonic speeds, it took a lot of time to explore what he did. With no idea of what kind of time-limit he had to deal with, he made a beeline for the downtown area. Up to that point, no one who saw XLR8 could perceive him long enough to consider him any more than a figment of their imaginations. That changed when his gaze met that of a red suited man moving around at super speeds. It was the same hero that showed up for the warehouse rescue. XLR8 considered escaping, but he felt a compulsive desire to compare speed with his fellow speedster. He closed the distance at nearly his top speed then began circling him for observation. The superhero looked to be fairly tired and pushing hard to keep up. He was also trying to hail him. XLR8 considered complying, but the Omnitrix gave out a warning tone. With some resignation, he dove into an alley and circled around to check if the slower speedster followed before running off to the library. He found a secluded spot nearby and touched the dial, reverting to human form.

 

After a moment of consideration, he looked at his watch which said 11:07. He wanted to use the time to figure out how long his transformations last, only to face palm when he realized that he didn't check to see what the time was when he transformed. Believing that he reached his quota of _derp_ for the day, he left the alley and zeroed onto his ultimate target.

 

Once he entered the building, the scent of books carried on artificially warmed air hit him head on. He glanced at the librarian, who was a middle aged man, and tilted his head at the slight deviation from typical expectations. He dismissed the thought while looking around for the best source of information. His gaze zeroed in on a line of computers that seemed to ask that users limit themselves to thirty minutes. He doubted that mattered with no one else there.

 

Date, Geography, recent events, major heroes, major villains, and important history: he had a lot to learn and something told him that he needed to learn it quickly. He needed some brain power, or more accurately, the ability to process and assimilate lots of information quickly. He had little doubt that Grey Matter could handle it, but he'd be limited by the speed of his eyes and the hardware. It was good that one alien lacked that limitation.

 

With his plan in place, he went into the bathroom while being mindful of the cameras. Once inside, he considered how he was going to get back out as Upgrade without being connected to to the person that just went in. Before coming to a decision, the mirror caught his eye and reminded him of his secondary goal. With trepidation, he walked over to it and gazed into his reflection. It was not the face of someone who could be in his mid-twenties. It was the face of someone who could pass for a pre-teen if not for the stringy hair on his chin and lips. The upper end was fifteen or sixteen, and he felt compelled to think that it was the former. He stood transfixed upon his visage until the air conditioning cut on, startling him. It also gave him an idea that was obvious in hindsight. "Okay...I've got bigger fish to fry. Time for an Upgrade."

 

Votes: 21; 5; 9; 27

1/5 Roll=5 - Success

 

Upgrade took a look at the mirror and felt satisfaction at another successful change and his appearance _not_ having the Omnitrix for an eye. This was followed by a face palm after forgetting to time his transformation, and another for forgetting that the computer clock would do the job. Once done beating himself up, he stretched for the vent and began to ooze into the vents and tried his best to remind his self that cobwebs and bugs weren't a problem for his nano-mechanical body. Once he passed through a fan, his original plan of dropping from the ceiling got killed by lightning. Why do that when he could ride the electrical wiring right into the back of a computer with none the wiser. It took a few tries, but he managed to find one of the public computers and plan a route between it and the fan. He finally settled in, turned the laptop quality desktop into a supercomputer, then began his research.

 

** Time: Friday Dec. 31st, 11:25 AM. **

** Location: PRT HQ **

 

When Miss Militia got called out for a morning encounter involving a new cape, she wasn't expecting it to be so emotionally draining. The victims were in a horrific state, mentally speaking. Kendra, the oldest among them, put up a good front, but she couldn't forget the pain and fear that were in her eyes. She couldn't forget anything after all, but that was another issue altogether. It was likely that the moment that the other girls couldn't see her do it, she'll crack.

 

Sandra had drawn herself in, becoming a shell of a person. It may take her days to come to terms with what happened. Amber had clearly suffered the worst of it. If her bruises didn't make it obvious, the way she shied away from men even more than the others did. Beyond that, she was practically starved of positive human contact, which Kendra provided readily. As for May, she was really lucky that she was Asian. Kendra seemed glad for this, but Sandra seemed to resent May's mostly intact innocence. Lastly was the perpetrators of their suffering. Their injuries weren't too bad, just fractured bones and minor to moderate concussions. It was how terrified they were that was really telling on what kind of cape this Ghostfreak was. The time to interview the girls separately had come, and she wasn't looking forward to that.

 

The doors behind her opened, admitting her partner for the day into the room: Velocity. She got along with him thanks to his military training and her experience in war-zones meshing well. He looked very winded, which raised a few questions when coupled with how late the Mover was. "What happened?" Her tone was curious, but only mostly curious. He must have pushed his power hard, but he would have radioed in if there was real trouble.

 

"New...cape," he said between breaths.

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Not Ghostfreak," she stated.

 

He took one last deep breath then stood straight, though his sweat under his skintight suit both betrayed him and encouraged her to keep her eyes locked on his face. Flawless memory had its disadvantages. "No, but they were a Case 53. They looked like a human sized black and blue velociraptor, but I couldn't get a much better look than that."

 

"Why not?"

 

Even standing in a pseudo attention stance, his fidgeting betrayed his nervousness. "The cape...was too fast."

 

That came as a shock to Miss Militia, her empowered weapon even responding by shifting from a bowei knife to an assault rifle, a high caliber rifle, a Desert Eagle, a machete, the back to the knife. To human perception speeds, it would just been an erratic cloud of black and green energy flitting around her body for a second. She was more focused on how Brocton Bay's fastest mover was beaten at his own game. His exhaustion made more sense with that in mind. His power put his body and mind in an accelerated state, but it made it harder for him to influence the world around him. At his top speed of 400 mph, his spandex suit was more like wearing 300 pounds of restrictive bands, which is why he stuck with a 170 cruising speed. Even so, he should have been able to track something moving at his top speed. Two new Case 53s in the same city wasn't unheard of. Two new _powerful_ Case 53s would turn some heads. One of them being human Master was a massive headache. People with an inhuman appearance, amnesia, and super powers were always a recipe for disaster. It was fortunate that they've had a minimum presence. Hopefully they can be recruited before Faultline's crew finds them. Either way, Director Piggot was in for a headache. At least it was calm for the moment.

 

As if to defy her thought, the doors were slammed open by a Caucasian couple. "Where's our daughter?!" yelled the man. They zeroed in on the two capes and stomped over. "This is your fault! Honestly, that girl's cape obsession is only trumped by that _goth_ phase of hers! Do you have anything to say for yourselves?!"

 

Her brain went into hyper drive, and she had the perfect answer in a single blink. "I'm sorry sir, but your daughter has had an encounter with a previously unknown Master/Stranger cape. We will need to hold her for a minimum 24 hour period to insure that she is free of lasting influence."

 

The man went red in the face and was about to resume yelling before his wife's hand on his shoulder gave him pause. "Of course. Perhaps this experience will teach her what is really wrong with the world these days." Miss Militia recognized the comment for what it was, but suppressed any reaction. Either way, it pacified her husband, making the heroine more than happy to accept the barb.

 

The man straightened, displaying as much presence as possible. "Of course. We will return tomorrow, so we can put this whole debacle behind us."

 

She doubted that it'd be close to that easy, especially if they act the same way as they just did. Hopefully she bought enough time to prepare them properly. Once the couple left, she got an eyeful of Velocity's knowing smirk. "That was good work."

 

She smiled back at him, the corner of her eyes crinkling as they always did. "I was just following protocol." At the end of the day, that's why the rules existed: to protect people.

 

** Time: Friday Dec. 31st, 1:20 PM. **

** Location: Social Security Office **

 

While still back at the library, he learned that his transformations lasted for around thirty minutes, but he doubted that this was set in stone. He learned a lot during his time on the internet, but the most important thing to him at the moment was learning that this Earth had actually made contact with an alternative version of itself. The other Earth, Earth Alph, was almost exactly like his own home discounting the obvious difference. This coupled with the date became a conundrum. There was a non-zero possibility that a version of himself had been born on Earth Bet who would be in his twenties. Since there wasn't a possible way for a person to travel between dimensions, he needed a new identity, hence his current location.

 

He knew nothing about illicit identities and wasn't comfortable with the idea, so that meant he needed a backstory for a fifteen-year-old popping up from out of nowhere. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, The Slaughterhouse Nine provided the best keystone to build his story around. After that decision, he eventually developed the idea of isolationist parents who formed a agreement with an Amish settlement. They were visiting when The Nine found the place. Some of the pictures he found online still made his blood run cold just thinking about it. Those people were actually alive through that bloody flesh. Not even The Joker was that f-d up.

 

He shook his head to clear out his distracted thoughts and finally managed to get his hands on the paperwork he needed. Due to being a minor, hurrah for puberty, and the effectiveness of his back story, he was only required to give his name, date of birth, and his parents' name. The DOB was easy, but he'd already determined that another Ethan Blake with his face could be out there. He was not good with names, but the Omnitrix gave him the perfect idea. If he has the powers, if he was going to be the hero, he might as well take the name; so it was with a smile that he wrote down, _Benjamin Kirby Tennyson_. Honestly, with his brown hair, dark green eyes, good looking face, and green clothes; he practically looked like him.

 

After forging some fake parental names, he returned to the person who gave him the papers and returned them. The motherly clerk took them with a smile. "Thank you. Now I took the liberty of contacting Social Services, and after hearing your story, they've agreed to send a representative over as soon as they can. You'll be set up in a loving home in no time."

 

"Wow, you make me feel like a puppy, but I guess any family is better than no family." That came out with a lot more angst than he expected, but it fit in well. The lady gave him a confused frown while he went to sit down and wait for the representative to show. When she did, Ben wasted no time joining her in her car. "So, do you know how long this will take?"

 

She buckled in and started the car. "Well, your in luck. We have a potential foster home already lined up. If the interview with the Clements goes well, you'll have you're own bed by New Years. I even heard that they have a teenage daughter."

 

That was a surprising fact for him. The idea painted a few pictures, some good and some bad. "Well, let's hope my luck holds out. I've always wanted a little sister." She gave him a strange and amused glance but said nothing of it. It was time to start his new life.

 

**And here's chapter two. No random changes yet, but it's only a mater of time. Review and discuss to your hearts content.**


	3. 1-3 Genisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did some math and found the conditions for unlocking aliens far too strict, and the problem was with the middle roll. I've decided to get rid of it. Even without, it is very unlikely for every alien to be unlocked, which was one reason for having it in the first place. This change is in place for this chapter.
> 
> I will still use the roster system, limiting the MC's choices to 10 aliens of your choosing. Additionally, random rolls will be from 1-80, with the last 10 applying to the active roster. This way, the active aliens still will have an increased chance of being chosen randomly. Let's have fun everyone.

 

  
**** **Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 1:56 PM.**   


**Location: Downtown**

 

Mathew Clements and Patricia Clements drove into the downtown area with a cloud of hesitation so thick, one could perceive it from across the street if they had a sense for such things. They were wondering what they were thinking when they signed up for the foster system a year ago. They've heard the tales about how foster homes were often not much better than what put them in the system in the first place, but those stories failed to mention that the foster children weren't much better. Everyone they met had given the feeling of a cornered animal ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. Even then, they had yet to remove themselves from the registry in hopes that someone could be helped; so when they were contacted about a mild mannered orphan, they jumped at the opportunity so fast that they failed to register that the orphan was a teenage boy by time they were on their way. They did say that they would interview him, and it felt wrong not to do at least that much.

 

It was nearly time for the 2 pm. meeting by the time they arrived. It only took a short conversation with the front desk secretary before they were ushered into a back room where they saw a single middle aged woman. This was the first step in the interview process, where the case worker gave her impressions of the child. It was the same, but different. Usually there was some kind of underlying tension, but there wasn't any.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Clements, I'm Miss Cremshaw."

 

They knew that already. It was just another part of the pattern by that point. Still, she was more chipper than usual, something Mathew felt compelled to point out. "Hello Miss Cremshaw. You seem to be in a good mood."

 

"Yes. I think we can attribute that to young Mr. Tennyson. I haven't had much time with him, this being a rush case as I'm sure you've been told, but he has been very cooperative once I figured out how to leverage my questions. With most kids, they simply refuse to answer anything about themselves. For Benjamin, it's more like he's trying to figure out  _how_  to answer the question. If he takes too long to answer, it will be a bit peculiar. Watch out if he says what pops into his head too. Those tend to be the real kickers."

 

"Really?" asked Patricia

 

"Yes, which reminds me of an example I think you should hear. Right after I picked him up, I implied that he was lucky that you had a daughter at his age, his first response was that he always wanted a little sister. I tried bringing it up again not long ago, and I got scolded for it. Let me tell you, you don't know surreal until you've made a career out of dealing with troubled teens then get scolded by one for misbehavior." The Clements couldn't help but laugh, Patricia even more so since she was on the verge of scolding the professional herself. "Come on. Let's meet the man of the hour."

 

**Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 2:08 PM.**

**Location: Social Services Office**

 

Ben sat staring at his Omnitrix while waiting to get called in for his interview with his potential foster parents. He was nervous about the encounter, but there was nothing he could do to really prepare. The tightness in his chest loosened when the buzzer signaled the end of his stewing period. He stood and followed the recently memorized path to Miss Cremshaw's office. The two who must have been the Clements family sans daughter sat at the front. It must have been a case of likes attracting since they were both petite individuals with dark hair and young faces. The man looked to be around 5'7" and his wife was around 5'1" tall. He easily ignored how cute the mother was and decided to break the ice. "Hi. You guys look a lot nicer than I expected."

 

They blinked at him before turning their attention back on Cremshaw, who seemed to have an 'I told you so' expression. He dismissed it and took the empty seat. What followed was a short awkward silence that Ben tried to break through again. "What kind of home do you have?"

 

From there, they described their home, which was from the western area of the suburbs north from downtown. It was a three bedroom and two bathroom where he'd have to share with a teenage girl, and wasn't that a joyful thought. He learned that they were the type to provide school lunches and were planning to see fireworks later that night.

 

That led to him asking if he could join followed by what kind of lifestyle he was used to. It was a surprise to them that he demonstrated a willingness to eat no more than eggs, rice, and assorted vegetables everyday. They were less surprised by him stating his dislike for hand washing dishes despite a willingness to do it. All together, what he told them summed up to him wanting to be as little of a burden as possible. At the end of it, he sighed deeply and gave a hard look at no one in particular. "I don't really think this is a good way to make a decision like this. Wouldn't we need to spend some real time together first."

 

"That's actually the next step Mr. Tennyson. This is us deciding if we want to go that far."

 

"Oh," he said with understanding. "This is the sales pitch. Next is the test drive."

 

Miss Cremshaw shook her head at that. "Mr. Tennyson, is that how you see this?"

 

"It seemed like the right metaphor, and...I've upset you, didn't I?" He deflated just before adding in that last part.

 

The caseworker sighed then shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, but it sounds like you're belittling yourself."

 

"Ah, I just thought it fit."

 

She shook her head at him. "As Mr. Tennyson explained to me earlier, it's very uncommon for him to have negative intentions behind his words. If you get in the habit of asking if he says something unusual, you shouldn't have any more trouble with him than your own daughter; less if his desire to be semi-independent is genuine."

 

"Not to mention that I've heard the stories saying that boys are easier."

 

That got a chuckle from Mr. Clements. "I won't deny that Madison has been the occasional handful, but that's not what we're worried about."

 

Ben narrowed his eyes and stared at them motionlessly. "Family is sacred to me. I just lost one. I'm not going to ruin another."

 

The two shared a glance between another before Mrs. Clements spoke up. "Honey, I think we should give him a chance."

 

He took one look at Ben's much more attentive expression then nodded back at her. "Okay. One chance."

 

"One's all I need sir."

 

"Excellent. We will need to deal with some paperwork plus extra. Mr Tennyson doesn't have anything, so we will need to deal with some extra paperwork. It's just so we can reimburse you for certain necessities that he would have normally had he been with us longer, up to a certain cap of course."

 

**Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 2:30 PM.**

**Location: PRT HQ**

 

The new year was just around the corner, and it already looked like the parahuman scene was looking to kick things off with a bang for Brocton Bay. Director Emily Piggot had to haul her overweight ass over for a precautionary dialysis session when she heard that there was a new Master classed Case 53 in town. She praised her own foresight when the report of another Case 53 came in courtesy of Velocity. The most fortunate part of the situation was that there were firsthand accounts of what the capes were capable of, which hopefully would include a weakness. Even if they weren't villains, it always paid to be prepared. That was why she and Armsmaster were with Velocity and Miss Militia. "I think we should start with the least worrisome...Velocity." There was no questioning in her sharp tone.

 

"I gave some thought to cape we've code-named Velociraptor, and I believe from how they ran that their power ratings are the same as mine...but higher. I'm thinking Mover 6, Thinker 3, and Breaker. I hesitate to give a rating to their Breaker power until we know how it plays into their speed."

 

So he gave Velociraptor an additional two in Mover and another in Thinker. It was either a blow to his pride, or because of it. Emily didn't care which. "Is that all?" All she got for an answer was an embarrassing display of sheepishness. "You must have something more. Personality, what they were up to? I'd settle for where their tattoo is."

 

He shook his head disappointingly. "I didn't see a tattoo. The only distinct thing I saw was a green shape." She noticed Miss Militia perk up a bit. "It really stood out because I'm sure I saw it turn orange just before they escaped."

 

That was different, and Emily suspected Miss Militia knew why it may be important. "Does that sound familiar to anyone?"

 

Miss Militia immediately chimed in. "When I questioned the girls that were rescued this morning, they were all consistent on saying that the only symbol they remember seeing was a glowing green hourglass set on disk that Ghostfreak wore on his chest. All of them but Amber agreed that the symbol beeped and turned orange just before Ghostfreak decided to leave them."

 

"No." All of their eyes snapped towards Velocity. "The sound, it was more like a buzzer, like what you'd hear from an alarm clock."

 

And that sounded like they were getting somewhere. "That implies a connection between the two," Armsmaster concluded.

 

"Get the recordings from the cameras you've placed around the city. I want visual confirmation on this symbol. See if you caught what they were up to." He nodded. "Now, Ghostfreak. I want his ratings, description, personality, and explanations."

 

"Ghostfreak is a Master 6, Stranger 5, Breaker 5, Striker 3, Mover 2, Changer 2, and a possible Brute. His Changer power gives him two appearances, three if the mentions of black mist by the ABB members are true. The form that we have pictures of show him resembling the typical concept of a featureless ghost with two arms, four-fingered hands, greenish gray skin, and a crisscrossing series of breaks in his skin that his one green eye can move along. Wisps of his skin hang from his tail and fingertips. His second form has gray skin, a one eyed skull, some exposed bones at his ribs and tail, bone claws that were responsible for stabbing through an active fuse-box, and bony spines along his...spine. He can switch between forms either by tearing off his outer skin or regrowing it from his stomach. In either form, he can project at least four black and white tentacles that can support at least 70 pounds each."

 

Miss Militia paused to give everyone else a chance to process everything she said. A sharp breath from Armsmaster drew attention to him. "You may be right about a low brute assessment. I suspect that those tentacles are stronger than we've seen. I recommend a tentative Brute 2 rating."

 

And with that, Ghostfreak had a rating in over half the classifications. It was the sort of thing usually only seen in power generating Trumps. Emily was already hating the direction the power assessment was going. "So far, I believe that Ghostfreak has the potential to be kind or cruel. After subduing the ABB members, he took the time to ensure that the victims would feel safe in spite of his appearance."

 

"Did he use his Master power on them?" Piggot interjected.

 

"I doubt it. A...testimony from Amber's parents stated that she had an attraction to cape and goth culture. All of the victims agree that she made the first move toward trusting him. In general, they described him as nice, firm, but creepy. The example of his cruelty comes from how excessively he dealt with the ABB. Not one of them had severe injuries, but they all woke up in a panic and had signs of extreme stress. Ghostfreak set out to deal as much psychological damage as he could when he could have disabled them quickly and cleanly. By leveraging his Breaker state into a Striker power, he can stab someone's head and incapacitate them with only a temporary concussion to show for it."

 

Emily wanted to ask how she came to that conclusion, but she'd already wasted enough time on wanting explanations. "Tell me about his Master, Stranger, and Breaker powers and any weaknesses."

 

The military styled cape nodded back. "Ghostfreak's major powers seem to follow the ghost motif: invisibility, intangibility, and possession. Ghostfreak can only Master one person at a time which would be less threatening if he weren't inside the person he's Mastering. It's unlikely that thermal imaging will see through his invisibility as he is endothermic. His intangibility does is not Manton Limited, but there are no signs that he can turn fully tangible while inside anyone. He also lacks Shadow Stalker's inability to handle electricity or thick walls. Unless some miracle weakness comes to light, I don't know how we could fight him directly, especially if he can maintain his major powers indefinitely. We need more information."

 

Emily sighed. "Its true that I'd like more, but we have more than we could expect from a cape's only appearance. I'd want a detailed report on why you think he has that he does. Back on the subject of this green hourglass, I doubt that this is the last we've seen of it. These are my orders: find out whatever you can about this symbol and just how many capes are a member of this team. Do  _not_  let it escalate into a fight unless any of these capes display obviously criminal behavior."

 

"Yes mam!" came the chorus of acceptance from the three capes.

 

"We need to have a strong presence for the New Years celebrations. Make sure everyone is on the lookout for trouble and these Case 53s. Dismissed!"

 

**Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 3:56 PM.**

**Location: Clements Household**

 

Ben had forgotten how time consuming shopping for clothes was, especially when you didn't have any to start with. It didn't help that he had his own preferences that were notably picky for any male. He eventually settled upon just over a dozen shirts that were black/white, green/black, and all three colors. He got six pairs of denim pants, three black and three dark blue. After getting some lazy stay-at-home clothes, the essential toiletries, and a houswarming gift of a cheep mini laptop, they started heading for what may be his new home.

 

The eggshell white building followed the New England style of covering little ground space, with the public rooms at the ground floor and bedrooms at the top floor. With as many bags as he could carry, Ben made his way up the stairs and ended up taking a long look at door decorated with feminine demands for privacy. He 'noped' himself away and turned his focus upon the opposite door. Just like with the front door, he worked himself into position and revealed a decent sized room with a bed, dresser, and closet. Beyond that, the room was completely empty of all but the most bare amount of decoration, giving it the impression of a guest room that they actually used enough to warrant not being turned into storage. He put everything in its inevitable place.

 

Once done making himself at home, he went downstairs to ask where his little sister was. Turned out that the moment she was alone in the house, she decided that she wanted to hang out with her friends. When he asked if they told her about him, he learned that she only knew to expect a big surprise when she gets home. Ben sighed loudly and glared at them. "Great. Now she thinks that you got her a car or something."

 

They looked at him in wide eyed shock until Mathew's face shifted into a grimice and Patricia's became more doubtful. "Surely she won't think something like that. She's 15, and Christmas was just a week ago."

 

"Which means that she's old enough get a learner's permit, and it could be a late present," chimed in Mathew. A few seconds passed during where she mirrored her husband's former expressions.

 

"She might not think it's a car, but she's expecting something really good." Following the logical path of his words, the obvious solution came to his mind. "You have to tell her about me, or at least warn her that she might not  _like_  the big surprise."

 

"Yeah. That may be a good idea son."

 

Ben's heart skipped a beat at Mathew's choice in words, and couldn't decide if it was a slip of the tongue or shorthand for sonny-boy. "I...I-I'll go upstairs. Call me down when she's home." He literally leaped up the stairs, two at a time, entered his newly acquired private space, locked the door and crashed onto the bed. He then spent a minute or so fixated upon the 'watch' on his wrist with his mind wandering. The shopping trip truely hammard home the fact that he was on an alien world. Most of the brands and products that he preferred to use for himself were nonexistent, and the ones that did exist didn't have the particular varieties he liked. He didn't have his clothes, his home, his computer, or his family. Not even his face and body were like he last remembered. The only familiar thing of his in the entire world came from a TV series.

 

He breathed deeply for another few minutes before deciding that it was time to make use of the real reason he wanted such a small computer. It may not have been much, but the cheep construction and electronics were just the kinds of traits that were perfect for Greymatter to tinker around with. He hadn't changed for hours, a was itching to experience another alien form. "I've got nothing," he said before pressing in his choice.

 

Votes: 23; 7; 12; 41

1/5 Roll=3 - Success

 

After the near instant transformation, his perspective had changed entirely. Everything was larger, and he was on the floor. The galvan sighed before jumping as hard as he could, only to quickly learn that wasn't a good idea. It was only by sheer luck that he managed to grab onto the sheets before falling off the edge. "Note to self: galvans jump good." He walked over to the computer and looked it over with his genius intellect. "And I have no idea what I'm doing. Welp, time to void the warranty." With a precise application of leverage and what strength his five inch tall body could muster, he tore off the laptop's cheap casing. Only when he could see the laptop's inner workings did he understand how it operated, and it was a piece of crap. Just with the materials inside the computer, he could make something at least thirty times better. Unfortunately, his human self had neglected to collect any materials or tools for the work he had planed on doing. He couldn't do anything about the former, but the later issue was easily solved by finding a few stray bobby pins. He then began planning out what he would do, and realized that he didn't have enough time for the rewiring and the subsequent coding. He needed to extended his transformation. With his vastly improved memory, he realized that he could do that. "Omnitrix, command code 1-0-1-0, Tennyson, Benjamin. Engage life form lock." He tapped the symbol on his back, making it beep. He tapped it again with the intent of turning human, to no effect. "Now we're in business."

 

**Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 5:13 PM.**

**Location: Docks/Boardwalk border**

 

"Hey, buddy...how are things on your end?" asked a strong baritone voice.

 

"Going pretty good friend of mine," responded a more nasely voice.

 

"Nothing will explode on us, will it?"

 

"I double checked, triple checked, then quadruple checked everything. It's all pretty low tech, so we should be good even if pops like a zit."

 

"Dude...gross."

 

"Not as gross as those burritos last night."

 

"Yeah. I might just cook something to get that taste out of my mouth."

 

"Dude, really?!" the scrawny young man exclaimed.

 

"Get back to tinkering," his statuesque friend snapped back good naturedly. "We'll get ready then think about food."

 

"Sounds like a plan, but I think I'm done. Brocton Bay is in for a New Years event they won't soon forget."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of another chapter. I was honestly scared of getting a random roll this chapter. Imaging if (rolls 1/80)...well, Jetray wouldn't have been too bad. I was just scared of destroying their home. The MC doesn't know about the randomness yet after all. I also have a vote for you guys.
> 
> What should be the video game theme next chapter. In needs to have elements that can resemble fireworks.
> 
> [X]Write in
> 
> My vote: Missile Command


	4. 1-4 Genesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the internet is the ultimate source for communication and information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know quest writers put down the results of any votes here, but I feel that leaving a surprise for those who will read this long after now would be better. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

  
****** Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 6:12 PM. **

** Location: Clements Household **

 

It was hours ago when Madison's parents told her that she was in for a big surprise when she got home. She was excited at first and couldn't wait to get home to see what it was. Emma, the redheaded beauty of school, and Sophia, the track star, joined her on her walk to the bus station, being just as interested in what the surprise was as she was. The bus had just arrived when her parents called again to tell her that she might not like the surprise. What followed was a short discussion on if they should go see anyways. Majority vote decided that they'll stick around and follow their original plan, which was browsing the boardwalk. Sophia seemed more interested in the roofs and where they were setting up for fireworks. Emma was focused on the boutiques and thrift stores. Madison shared some of Emma's interests, but her real focus was on the people in the area. She paid special attention to group dynamics and who led each group.

 

Nearly two hours after deciding to stay, the sun had set, and they were ready to go see what the big surprise would be. The bus ride over was of course spent on trying to guess at it. They first thought it could be some kind of stupid pet, but the idea was discarded when the most obvious came to mind: a baby. Madison wasn't sure what she thought about being a being a big sister, but at least she had time to get used to the idea. She simply couldn't conceive of having a fully developed obnoxious brother after just one day. Once they figured that much, Emma left at her usual stop while Sophie left at another of her random spots, leaving Madison to face the 'surprise' on her own.

 

Seconds after she opened the front door, her mother approached her while her father went upstairs. "So, what's the big surprise?" Wordlessly, the woman led her into their living room and sat down at the flower printed couch, patting the seat as an indicator for Madison to sit next to her. The teen was feeling a bit confused about why her father was upstairs and not with them, but the silence was growing awkward. After a few more seconds of that, she decided to kick things off without him. "Am I going to be a big sister."

 

The older lady practically choked on the words forming in her mouth, and ended up coughing out a stray bit of spit that made its way into her windpipe. She sighed the discomfort away then smiled at her daughter. "Something like that, sweetie." Madison felt a little worried when she took another deep breath. "There's something we've never told you, mostly because we were beginning to think that nothing would ever come from it. Today, we found a reason to give it a real chance; it's an opportunity to really help someone out."

 

With that, Madison was confused. "What's going on mom?"

 

"Well, for a long time, we, your father and I, have always wanted to try taking care of someone who doesn't have anyone who could do that for them, so we signed up to foster a child." The knot in her chest tightened. As a student of Winslow, which was considered the recruitment zone for all the major gangs, she knew full well what kids part of the foster system were like. The certainty that they wouldn't pick a _teenage_ foster girl was what helped ground her. "So many weren't a good fit for us that we were about to give up. We didn't expect anything to happen today, but Ben turned out to be a nice boy." Her mind ground to a halt. "Madison, say hello to Benjamin."

 

She turned around and everything shattered. Standing right there with a wide smirk and a lazy wave was a boy around her age. He was some combination of handsome and cute that somehow turned out to be not very eye-catching. "Hello Madison. I'm your new foster brother."

 

She didn't realize that she'd run off to her room until she already had her hand on the doorknob. She went in and immediately pulled out her phone and texted both her friends.

 

M: I can't believe it. They took in a foster kid.

 

E: Wow. Sucks 2 b u.

 

S: Yea. Probably another one of those sad fucks always bitching about not having any nice parents.

 

M: That's not the worst part. HE'S our age.

 

E: He?

 

S: M. Your parents are stupid.

 

E: Is he at least cute.

 

M: What?! And don't call my parents stupid.

 

S: Your parents brought home a foster boy.

 

E: If your living with a strange boy, he's got to at least b cute.

 

M: Fine, they're idiots. And yes, but he's dorky looking too.

 

S: If he's a dork, he probably doesn't have the balls to try anything. A swift kick will take care of him if he does.

 

E: S is right. You can deal 4 yourself.

 

M: Gee, thanks.

 

S: Suck it up buttercup. Just make sure you're ready 4 Monday.

 

E: Yeah. She's going to freak. It'll be hilarious.

 

M: Yeah. Ttyl.

 

Madison put away her phone, feeling a little relieved that she had a chance to vent. The boy did look a bit dorky to her, is Sophie was probably right about not trying anything. That still left her having to live with a boy. She needed to forget about what was wrong with the situation for the moment, so she got on her laptop with the intent of checking out PHO. Sophia mentioned a new Case 53 in town, and Madison was instantly curious.

 

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**♦ Topic: A Creepy Cape Just Saved Us**

**In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay**

  
**Spring_A+** (Original Poster)

Posted 7 hours ago:

 

A couple days ago, I was picked up by some of the ABB. They said that my parents were behind on their payments and were being really loud. Then, they saw me. They decide that I could pay off the debt in their steed. My parents begged them to stop, but there was nothing they could do. It was really scary and only got worse when they shoved me into a pitch black room with three other girls. I didn't even understand what dark meant until I was stuffed in a room with no windows or even a crack in the door for light to shine through. It stank of excrement and...other things. I couldn't even tell how long we were in there until we heard some mumbling from a new voice.

 

I thought that it was the guy that was going to...'break me in,' until he started asking us 'Who did this?' There was the sound to cracking knuckles and he asked again. His voice was really creepy. He then told us he was a superhero and said he'd pay the ABB a visit. That's when the screaming started. We could hear loud thumps and running around outside the door until the meanest looking ABB guy opened the door. He had a crazy look in his eye and looked ready to really hurt us. That's when we saw Ghostfreak.

 

He just appeared out of nowhere with bone claws glowing green and slammed the bad guy into the wall. I thought he was going to eat his soul or something until he stabbed the man in the head with his fingers. The guy was still alive though.

 

He told us to come out, but only only one of us wasn't too scared of him. She hugged him and he hugged her back. We weren't so scars then, so we followed him as he carried her to a big well lit room. He then used a cheepo phone to call the PRT, flew through the walls, then came back to pull his extra skin out of his chest.

 

I found a bad guy's expensive phone and am posting from it. I even have pics. [1][2][3]

 

He was a lot scarier before he put the extra skin on.

 

**(Showing page 1 of 13)**

>  
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Tripple2**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> Sweet Jesus fucking Christ! What fresh hell did this thing spawn from?! It has giant fucking tentacles for Christ's sake!
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> Wow. I don't know if I should call this heartwarming or terrifying, and I can't believe that there's a cape that can make you wonder about both at the same time. He's not the scariest looking cape I've seen, (Endbringers, Nilbog, Crawler) but he's up there. I don't want to think about what's under the skin.
> 
>  
> 
> Regardless, he's done a good thing. I'm glad you girls are safe now and sorry you weren't found sooner.
> 
>  
> 
> That said, I don't think you posted this for sympathy. So let's kick off this discussion. Ghostfreak being a Master/Stranger is a pretty safe bet. Breaker too for going through walls. Stabbing someone in the head without killing them adds Striker. Let's speculate.
> 
>  
> 
> @ Tripple2: keep in mind that Case 53s don't get to choose what they look like.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **oneeyedpharaoh**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> And now another being of the shadows stalks the night. Our resident Shadow Stalker has a challenger for her throne.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Laser Augment**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> Let me take a moment to mention what Ghostfreak found. There have always been theories that the ABB went around kidnapping little girls for shit like this, but this is our first real proof. As scary as he looks, I think that whatever Ghostfreak did was exactly what those pricks deserved, if not more.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **White Fairy (Veteran Member)**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> I'm not sure I agree with Laser on condoning whatever Ghostfreak did to them. We don't know what he can do to people, so I'll reserve judgment about his character until we find out. I can't argue about little girls being rescued from a terrible situation though.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Spring_A+ (Original Poster)**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> He just left. The symbol on his chest suddenly beeped and flashed orange. He was gone in seconds.
> 
>  
> 
> Velocity just showed up.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **White Fairy (Veteran Member)**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> Well that's a relief, and a little unusual. Has anyone ever heard of a Case 53's tattoo beeping or flashing?
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)**
> 
> That's news to me, and I'm The Guy in the Know. Beeping and flashing sounds like tinkertec to me, and last I checked, tattoos aren't tinkertec or any kind of tec.
> 
>  
> 
> That brings me to another odd fact. All Case 53s have lost all their memories when they are found. Ghostfreak already had a name, seemed to have a good idea on how his powers worked, and knew how to work a phone. A tinkertec tattoo doesn't seem to fit the ghost motif. Maybe Ghostfreak's actually been around for a while, and this is his first sighting. It wouldn't be unusual for a Stranger to do that.
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Tripple2**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> Are we still ignoring the tentacles in the room. He's got that girl wrapped in them. And how do we know that he didn't Master any of them?
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Ekul**
> 
> Replied 7 hours ago:
> 
> I don't think he Mastered them. If his powers keep with the ghost theme, then he'd have to be inside someone to control them. He's clearly visible in those pictures, though part of me wishes he wasn't. Those tentacles are creepy.
> 
>  

**End of Page.   1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 11, 12, 13**

The next two pages were just about his appearance, with mentioning of his roaming eye added in. There were also a few lewd jokes involving the girl he was holding and his tentacles. Some infractions shut that up real quick.

****(Showing page 4 of 13)** **

>  
> 
> **► **Bruce Lao****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> I think that's enough about the tentacles and how scary he looks. I thought we were supposed to be speculating on his powers, which is pointless. We should consider what this new cape could mean for Brocton Bay. He's already made a move against the ABB, and Lung isn't known for taking something like this laying down. With the way he looks and how he seemed to run off just before the Protectorate heroes showed up, he's probably going to be an independent hero, if he even sticks to being a hero. He may end up joining Faultline's Crew. We know they have a notable number of Case 53s. Either way, the Protectorate and New Wave will keep their eyes on him.
> 
>  
> 
> **► **Weld (Verified Cape)****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> I'm sure that the Protectorate can find a place for Ghostfreak. It is always a pleasant feeling when one of us decides to go out and help fight for the people that can't defend themselves. I wouldn't mind an opportunity to meet with him.
> 
>  
> 
> **► **GstringGirl****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> I actually like his tentacles. It looks like he has really good control over them. I'm jealous.
> 
> Also: OMG It's Weld. I am such a big fan of yours.
> 
>  
> 
> **► **XxVoid_CowboyxX****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> Jealous￼￼
> 
> And what if he's not really a Case 53? I looked over those pictures a lot, and I didn't see a single one of those inverted capital omega symbols. @Bagrat You even said that he knew what he was doing. What if he doesn't have amnesia?
> 
> **► **GstringGirl****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> :blushes: Not like that. I just thought it's be nice, like having extra hands that'll do whatever I tell them to.
> 
> And if Ghosfreak isn't a Case 53, then what could he be?
> 
>  
> 
> **► **Upgrade (Unverified Cape)****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> @thosemakinglewdjokes That's rude. Those girls suffered a forced introduction into what you're joking about. If you look at pictures 1&2, you'll notice that he's protecting her modesty, not violating it.
> 
> @XxVoidcowboyxX You're on the right path. Ghostfreak isn't a Case 53.
> 
>  
> 
> **► Bagrat ****(Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)******
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> @Upgrade I haven't heard about a cape going by that name before, which is weird since it's a really obvious name for any Tinker. Maybe you could tell us about yourself and what you know, if anything, about Ghostfreak. We don't need any tinfoil hats here, and encouraging Voidcowboy won't help with that.
> 
>  
> 
> **► **Upgrade (Unverified Cape)****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
> Ghostfreak and I are like this)(. You could practically say that we're of the same unit. I haven't been where anyone can see me, just Ghostreak and XLR8 so far. I won't share anything more about my powers beyond what my name implies. I will say that I don't look human but am not a Case 53 either. What am I?
> 
>  
> 
> ► **Laser Augment**
> 
> Replied 6 hours ago:
> 
> I say that you're a troll. Someone shouldn't be able to get an unverified cape tag when there isn't a known cape by that name. You even come in on a new cape's thread and claim to be his teammate. Capes may come out of nowhere, but whole teams do not. That goes doubly true for monstrous capes. Lastly, its like you're trying to bring in the tinfoil hats. Next thing we know, they'll start saying that you guys are aliens here to harvest our capes for their powers.
> 
>  
> 
> **► **Upgrade (Unverified Cape)****
> 
> Replied on 6 hours ago:
> 
>   
>  You said it, not me. Maybe we're just alien Plumbers.

 

****End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … 11, 12, 13** **

 

Madison had no idea what to think about Upgrade and what he said. Tin Mother got involved later on and gave him some infractions for hacking, which he accepted with a laugh. The tread derailed a bit after that until Upgrade announced his departure and reminded everyone about the topic. It was more of the same up till the end, with occasional plumber cracks. L33T even made a Mario comparison about heroic plumbers. That led to Ghostfreak being photoshoped with red skin and overalls, and it was downhill from there. She had almost forgotten how upset she was with her parents before she heard a knock at the door and a mostly unfamiliar voice. "Madison?" She was flushed with indignation that they'd send up the boy to try to get them out. "Come on out. We have fresh cookies."

 

That did explain the smell she was just noticing. "What kind?" Her voice had a petulant reluctance that she failed to notice.

 

"They're peanut butter and banana." She expected peanut butter, but banana was unexpected. It sounded good. "I have one you can try right here." She grumbled a bit the went to her door to find him standing in the hall with a small plate in his hand. When she grabbed the cookie, there was an insufferable smirk on his face as if he was so sure of his victory. So she slammed the door in his face and went back to her bed. After looking over the confection a bit, she finally took a bite out of the snack and found it to her liking. "I mixed and baked them myself. There's more downstairs if you want them." He was making it very hard to dislike him. She might as well get used to him if they were going to see the fireworks together.

 

** Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 10:05 PM. **

** Location: The Rig (Protectorate HQ) **

 

It had taken hours for the coordination between all the heroes to be completed in time for New Years. He could have completed the task sooner if New Wave didn't reveal partway that they would be involved in preventive measures as well. He was momentarily upset at the sudden change in plans, but quickly realized that the addition of four fliers was a significant boost in the efficiency of the patrols. He only had to make sure that their routes didn't take them into the path of any fireworks. The forecast warned that it would be a moonless cloudy night: great for fireworks, poor for visibility.

 

With barely more than an hour left before he needed to be ready, there simply wasn't enough time left to do anything significant to improve his performance. Some deliberation had concluded that the time would be best spent programming. He'd been working on a field lie detector when he realized that the social assistance program that the greatest Tinker Dragon gifted him to help him relate with people.

 

Speaking of the exalted Tinker, she had recently contacted him through their private communication channel. He dropped his original intent. The insights he could glean from their interactions were always worth the time spent and she never minded if he worked during the conversation He pressed the button, and a holographic image of her face materialized in his workshop. She had an average beauty and the kind of face where it would be difficult to place her ethnicity. She spoke with a slight Canadian accent. "Hello Collin," she said using his real name. "I hear that there are some new interesting capes in your area."

 

He smiled at her directness. "I take it that you've seen my high speed camera footage."

 

The hologram blinked at him then looked to the side as if focused on something else. "I have now. This must be XLR8." She spoke the name with a deliberate slowness.

 

He tore his attention away from his programming and focused entirely on her. "I wasn't aware that he had a name. I wonder what would cause him to choose a name like XLR8." No sooner than after the words left his mouth did the Tinker realize the thought behind the name. The smirk on Dragon's face told him that he had the reaction she intended for him. "Ah. Clever. How did you come by that name?"

 

"I was alerted to someone successfully hacking into PHO about twelve hours ago and found someone calling themselves Upgrade and claiming to know Ghostfreak and XLR8." That came as a surprise to Collin. He was among the select few that knew that Dragon designed PHO. Hacking into her work is a significant feat. "I confronted him about it, and he only did it to give himself the unverified cape tag. I gave him his infractions, but let him keep the tag. He earned that much."

 

It was an interesting bit of news to him, but it's information that would've reached the director's desk by now. What really had his attention was that if Upgrades choice in name had anything to do with his Tinker specialty, he was the kind of cape anyone would want their hands on, even more than the typical Tinker. "Do you think you can get in contact with him?"

 

"I'll give it a try." A tab on his screen popped up, showing the conversation. Dragon was using her cape account, which should make getting information easier if Upgrade really was a hero.

 

1/5 Roll=2 - Success

 

  
**Dragon:** Hello Upgrade. Do you a moment?

 

They had expected to wait a few minutes if not indefinitely. That's why the rapid response caught them slightly off guard.

 

  
**Upgrade:** Apologies, but Upgrade is indisposed at the moment. Depending on your intent, I can relay the message or handle it personally.

 

Collin felt a spike of suspicion at the message that made him think of it as a hoax. He logically concluded that it was in his imagination.

 

  
**Dragon:** May I ask who I am speaking to?

 

  
**Upgrade:** Of course. You may address me by my chosen moniker, Greymatter.

 

The two Tinkers shared pointed looks. If what they read was true, they had just confirmed a _fourth_ member of a team that literally sprung up overnight. Dragon's next question was obvious.

 

  
**Dragon:** Can you tell us how many of you are there.

 

  
**Upgrade:** I suspect that you'll want me to tell you what they're capable of as well. I hope you will be satisfied with this much: Wildmut, Four Arms, Diamondhead, Ripjaws, Stinkfly, Heatblast. We will have to keep some secrets to ourselves.

 

Collin actually felt his breath hitch. Six names, a team that had ten members. That made them the second largest team in Brockton Bay, right behind the Nazi supported Empire Eighty-Eight. Two of those ten had been confirmed to be powerful capes in their own rights. Perhaps if he included the underage Wards in his count, but they weren't allowed to see potentially dangerous situations until they were adults.

 

  
**Upgrade:** I'm afraid that my time is running short. Perhaps we can continue this line of inquiry at a later date. Diamondhead should be announcing our presence tomorrow.

 

Greymatter logged out of Upgrades profile, leaving the hero leader temporarily at a loss for what to do. Fortunately, he had a friend to keep him on track. "Collin, I think you should inform Director Piggot about this." He nodded back at her. What he got was valuable information, regardless of how unsettling it was.

 

** Time: Friday, Dec. 31st, 11:50 PM. **

** Location: The Boardwalk **

 

The last sixteen hours had undoubtedly been the most interesting day of Ben's life. The last eight hours came with a handful of discoveries. The first was that using the life-form lock put the Omnitrix in its recharge state for four hours. Clearly it was better to transform normally and save the life-form lock for emergency situations.

 

He also discovered that his new little sister was ridiculously cute. Ben was glad that she lacked the reserved disposition that was essential for him to consider someone romantically, because she had a good bit of what he considered physically attractive. That was especially true of her thin petite build. There was also the fact that the fifteen year old went out of her way to look even younger than she looked naturally, which ringed all of the pedophilia bells. Ben may have understood he was fifteen physically, but his mind was still that of an adult's. It was easy enough for him to stick her firmly in the sibling category of his mind.

 

One after he was able to coax her out of her room, Mrs. Clements had encouraged all of them to spend some time playing board games. That went on for a long time, and gave him ample opportunity to play the role of an obnoxious older brother. In fact, he settled into the role so suddenly that the entire Clements family was a bit shell shocked. Her cuteness simply made for too easy of a sticking point for most of his cracks at her.

 

Eventually game night came to an end, leaving them with some time to get ready for the celebrations. Ben wasted no time locking himself back in his room so he could use Greymatter to write a few programs that would turn out invaluable in any future endeavors. Getting a message from Dragon in the middle of that turned out to be a surprise. Being an unverified cape drew a lot of unwanted attention on PHO, but a world famous hero was worth responding to. She was just fishing for information, and Ben saw no reason to deny her. Greymatter saw it a bit differently. If it worked out,  the plan he set up would protect his human identity.

 

"Emma!" Ben was pulled from his thoughts at Madison calling out to someone. He looked towards the direction she was waving to and picked out a very pretty red headed teen that was more shapely than anyone at the age of fifteen had any right to be. She closed the distance with the kind of gait designed to draw attention. She was quickly classified as 'only interesting due to being sister's friend' in his mind. "Is Sophia around?" Madison asked the redhead.

 

"She's around, but we won't find her." There was something about the...certainty in her words that seemed off to Ben, but he dismissed it when Emma started giving him some kind of upward smile. "So you're the foster kid. You are cute."

 

"Thanks. You're pretty pretty yourself." He could have been talking about the weather for all the intent he put in his voice.

 

"I think we should leave you kids alone to hang out," Patricia chimed in. "Don't wander off too far. The docks are dangerous at night." And with that, the parental figures left.

 

"Your parents are really lame Madi."

 

The smaller girl groaned in affirmation while what they were talking about clicked in Ben's head. "Oh. There trying to do a set up."

 

Madison's groaning turned into a hand on her forehead. "Please, talk about anything else."

 

As if to answer her plea, the speakers screeched suddenly. When it stopped, a voice with all the presence of a movie announcer sounded out throughout all of the boardwalk. "Happy New Years Brocton Bay. For many generations, we have used fireworks to herald forth the new year. The same tired formula for what should be a time of change, but fear not, for we have looked back to the beginning of man's greatest pastime for inspiration."

 

"Great. Don't these losers ever give up?"

 

"I take it back."

 

"This is Uber and Leet, right? I hear that they are more like illegal performers than real villains."

 

"They're pathetic. I don't know why the heroes haven't taken them down yet." Ben glanced at Emma for her comment. There was a tone to her voice that he found unusually aggressive, but he dismissed it for more important things. Uber and Leet were the videogame villains. Ben liked video-games as much as the next nerd guy, but Uber and Leet gave them a bad name. Video-game characters were supposed to be the heroes.

 

"It was realized that we have been too selfish, so we decided for others to get a chance to enjoy themselves. However, we understand that you are not as familiar with the greatest arts of modern man. But there is one work that has stood out and touched the hearts and minds of millions. One that all know how to play." The speakers began playing a very familiar Russian tune. Four two foot long spikes impaled the ground near a handful of people and formed a 64 square-foot grid out of lasers made visible by mist. "Brought to you from the minds of Uber and Leet, we invite the flying heroes of Brocton Bay to a game of 3-DIMENSIONAL TETRIS!"

 

Emma ended up laughing loudly. "Do those idiots really think that they heroes will play their stupid game?"

 

She continued ranting, but Ben didn't stick around to listen. Uber and Leet were still villains, and villains usually had a way to force compliance when they want it. He didn't know what that method would be, but he did understand how the game would be played. Uber had specifically invited _flying_ heroes to play, which meant that only aerial cspes will be able to control the descent of the inevitable Tetris blocks. Ben needed maximum aerial maneuverability and spacial awareness, and there was only one choice that fit the bill. He found a spot away from any people and prepared his choice. "Time to fly."

 

1/5 Roll=2 - Success

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Tetris was the winner. SB votes were 7 to 7 between Halo and Tetris, but SV had 2 votes for Tetris. Good for me too, because I'm sure I wrote myself into a corner that would have made a Halo theme nearly impossible. (Fun fact: if I used Missile Command, the MC would've chosen Heatblast.)
> 
> I wanted to include the conflict as well, but the chapter was already big enough by my standards.
> 
> I also have another vote prepared. Ben will try to introduced Diamondhead publicly. Two Wards will be there patrolling. Pick two.
> 
> [] Aegis: The Fearless Leader  
> [] Clockblocker: Jokester  
> [] Vista: Young, Cute, and Experienced  
> [] Gallant: The Chivalrous One  
> [] Kid Win: The Sociable Tinker  
> [] Shadow Stalker: Broody Anti-Heroine
> 
> I'm not certain if the next chapter will reach the moment you're voting for, but I figured I'd get it out of the way.


	5. 1-5 Genesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silly stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably shouldn't have bothered with the last vote. It pretty much turned out just like I expected it would.
> 
> I also made a small error last chapter in saying that New Wave had three fliers. I wasn't sure if Shielder could fly. He can.
> 
> Now here we have the Tetris game of the year.

**Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:00 AM.**

**Location: The Boardwalk**

 

In less than a blink, Ben was replaced by the lepidopterran Stinkfly. His wings built up speed and his four branched eyes looked around independently as the former human acclimated to his insectoid body. Meanwhile Uber's voice could still be heard. "We'll be porting on tetris pieces for the next hour, so good luck gamers."

 

Once his DNA born instincts came to bear, he jumped up as hard as he could an kicked his wings in high gear. The gear turned out to be too high, making him climb into an uncontrolled tumble before reducing his thrust to a more controlled hovering. "All right, Stinkfly. No need to embarrass yourself yet." He turned his attention fully upon were he came from and spotted the first set of four foot-cubed sized blocks that would inevitably start falling down on the heavily populated area. They were bright yellow and formed the dreaded S shape of Tetris.

 

The blocks were drifting slowly towards the ground until a human shape crashed into the conglomerate and separated it into its constitute parts, which began hurtling towards the ground at normal speeds. Stinkfly picked up the pace and closed the distance in time to hit a block falling towards a dense group with a thick sticky slime fired from ducts in his eyes. The block was blasted to an empty patch of ground where it bubbled up but remained whole. Another group proved less fortunate when the block landed on them then showered the area in brightly colored sparks. Stinkfly's four eyes easily caught the moment of ensuing chaos as people put some distance between themselves and the bright sparks, shoving past one another without regard.

 

The ground bound and Protectorate heroes who were already at work trying to disperse the crowd redoubled their efforts to establish control. Two white and brightly colored fliers were forming blue and purple/indigo barriers between bystanders and the sparking blocks. The last flier, a beautiful older teen with blond hair covering one eye, no mask, a ruby hairband, and white spandex with a stylized red arrow trailing down her right side with the speckling of lines behind it denoting speed, took notice of him and closed the distance. She was Crystal Pelham, AKA Laserdream of New Wave. "Who are you?" she asked him with a defensive tone and stance. She grimaced suddenly and held her hand over her nose. "And what's that smell?"

 

She looked over his form, thinking that he could only be one of the monstrous capes seen world over. It had four eyes set upon snail-like stalks, a glowing hourglass set upon his face, four pointy legs, two clawed arms, and a giant spade shaped stinger at the end of its wasp shaped body. The cape was a bit bigger than her seven foot father. "I'm Stinkfly, a hero." She was a bit dubious about his hero claim, but she did catch him shooting away that block.

 

"Okay. Can you do anything else?" He felt inside himself and found a gas that was a concentrated form of his natural aroma, but he doubted its usefulness and shook his head.

 

His eye caught sight of a block set forming that gave off blue light and was shaped like a foot thick square. "I think we need to play the game, buy the others time to stop this."

 

"Are you serious?" she deadpanned at him. His upper right eye tracked the blue blocks drifting away from the play area and towards a storefront. With the flying heroin in his way, Stinkfly barrel rolled around her and made a bee line for the block, grabbing it in seconds then pulling it up and away. The heroin caught up just in time to hear the sound of it giving off warning beeps. Stinkfly released it on reflex, allowing it to continue falling again. His face somehow managed to covey concentration as the blocks settled vertically at the field's edge. "What was that about?" she asked him.

 

An eye saw another bright green T shaped block show up the pitch black night sky. Two other eyes caught sight of two other white fliers flying up to him. The oldest had purple/indigo gradient starbursts on her chest as well as her shoulders and a tiara keeping blond hair out of her eyes: Sarah Pelham, AKA Lady Photon. The male flier had blue dyed hair, a blue visor, and large shield designs that made his suit more blue than white. He was Eric Pelham, AKA Shielder. He was the first to speak. "Hey sis. Who's your new boyfriend?"

 

Stinkfly ignored the admonishments from his mother and tracked a female figure grabbing the blocks and began lifting them away. The alien nearly face-palmed, and would have had he not remembered that the Omnitrix was right there. It was unsurprising when the blocks exploded in a cloud of green gas. The three turned around at the sound just in time for the heroin in the cloud to fall out like a limp doll. They all moved to catch her, but Stinkfly stopped quickly when he realized that the heroin didn't need all of them. His upward facing eye caught two more sets appearing in the night sky. One was a violet line of blocks and the other was another yellow S. He moved to get them contained within the field and saw the green cloud fall towards the crowd. He produced the thickest mucus he could and shot the two shapes, using it as a slimy tether while he went to use his wings to blow away the smoke. He snorted the blocks into his grasp and set them in the play area.

 

Another hero approached him, this one wore what looked liked modernized centurion armor with a small shield surrounded by rings of lightning, a lightning spear, and shoes crackling with electricity. He was Dauntless, a rising star in Brocton Bay. Stinkfly grew tired of the interruptions, so he spared the other hero one eye while the other three watched the skies. "Are you Stinkfly?"

 

"Yes. Are you helping?" he snapped back at the man. Yes, Uber and Leet were considered the running joke of Brocton Bay, but it was really annoying that they were more interested in him over helping.

 

The man tilted his head slightly then shook his head. "We need to find Uber and Leet. You seem to have this under control. Aegis will assist you." His voice was clipped and robotic, as if reading from a script. Done speaking, he then flew off at approximately biker speeds. It was then that he noticed that most of the adult heroes were nowhere to be seen, leaving the underage Wards to handle evacuation. The people weren't making it easy for them, being far more interested in watching the insectoid in action than in avoiding anymore traps.

 

His eyes caught another pair of tetrominoes lighting up the night sky as well as yet another hero flying up at him at running speeds. This hero was wearing rust red spandex with silver trim, a matching helmet, and a silver shield emblem on his chest, marking him as the Wards' leader, Aegis. After getting delayed three times, Stinkfly didn't bother sticking around long enough for him to close the distance and instead went to grab the tetrominoes.

 

He used his six limbs to work them into flat positions then placed them within the 64 square foot field. Some tech inside the shapes seemed to forcibly align them with the lasers, which removed one concern. "How can I help?" asked Aegis who caught up during Stinkfly's momentary pause.

 

The Omnitrix hero considered the question as two more tetrominoes appeared, one of which was some distance away. He knew that he wasn't actually very good at the game, but he was fast enough to gather up stray blocks quickly. "I gather them up, you place them." He caught him nodding back and flew to gather his targets. Knowing that he didn't have to spend brain power on planing where to place the blocks, he managed to starting thinking about how Uber and Leet were pulling off their stunt. Uber said that they were 'porting' in the pieces, but that begged the question of why all of them weren't appearing over the play area. He watched the sky carefully and noticed a darkened shape moving briefly past an open patch of night sky. He used two eyes to track a predictive path of the object falling at the same speed as the tertrominoes.  It took a few minutes and multiple sets before a tetromino with a shape only possible three dimensionally and glowing an angry red appeared when it reached the height where the others lit up. An idea hit him that the others missed in their haste to hunt down Uber and Leet. Humans simply weren't inclined towards looking up, not even the fliers. Lepidopterrans were a different story.

 

The tetrominoes were arriving at a faster pace as time passed. Even with Sheilder and Lady Photon having joined the control efforts while Laserdream carried her headstrong cousin off to see the family healer, it would only be a matter of time before they'd be overwhelmed without him. It would be even worse when the game goes past his time limit. He took one last set to Aegis and paused just long enough to say, "Cover for me," before shooting into the air at highway speeds.

 

He received all the confirmation of his theory that he needed when he nearly bumped into an unlit tetromino. Without the lights that colored them, they were effectively invisible against the cloudy and nearly moonless night. Stinkfly was willing to bet his left wing that Uber and Leet's trans _port_ was the same way. After a minute of following the trail of shapes up, he finally found what looked like a blimp. Upon spotting the openings that the Tetris pieces were falling from, he used his thickest slime to glue them over. He entered through the last one and began his hunt for the gaming duo.

 

It didn't take long to find them inside a space enclosed in aluminum and glass. He landed gently on an aluminum panel and considered his entrance. With a block toothed grin, he decided upon a classic. He brought to bear the most forgotten part of Stinkfly's power set and utilized the stinger that can easily cut steel to tear a gash into the aluminum. He couldn't keep the maniacal grin off his face at hearing the exclamations from inside the cockpit. Three attacks opened it enough to jam his head through. "Here's Stinkfly!"

 

"Holy shit!" The giant insect forced his self past the sheared metal like a demented butterfly coming from its cocoon, then crawled across the walls while keeping three eyes on them. He didn't go far before jamming his stinger back into the 1/2 inch aluminum and tearing gouges along his path. The rampant destruction managed to jar Leet out of his surprised stupor enough for him to point at the alien angrily. "Stop that! Do you know..."

 

Stinkfly leapt off the wall and landed in front of him forcefully. "I don't care. You've had your fun. Now stop it or I'll tear your ship apart."

 

The scrawny looking Tinker wearing a Tetris covered suit and mask looked ready to do something to combat the giant insect before his more muscular friend, who wore his Tetris outfit much better, pulled him back. "Alright...if you let us go."

 

Stinkfly considered the offer. He started by drawing up a few pros and cons before just going with his gut. "Fine, but I want to see you guys using your shows to harass the villains more. Don't endanger civilians. Having a bunch of booby traps falling on a crowd is a quick way to have one of us shut you down. Strike one." With that, he left the same way he came in and focused his attention on to ground. After a few seconds, the growing tower of blocks went dark which the hero nodded at. Everything was under control, so the only thing he had left to do was find a secluded spot to land. Not being seen wasn't an issue, though he had to limit his wings to minimum flapping. All in all, he managed to deal with a problem before his timer ran out. He'd just have to find his surrogate family next.

 

**Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 11:00 AM.**

**Location: Clement's Residence**

 

Apparently Ben's parental figures would be upset by him disappearing in the middle of a villain attack, even if it was Uber and Leet. He managed to mollify them by saying that his first instinct was to get some distance. Madison laughed a bit at his lie, but she quieted from a sharp glare from her parents and a quick ribbing about sticking around in a danger zone.

 

1/5 Roll=3 - Success

 

After waking up and having breakfast, he turned into Greymatter again to finish up the rest of the programming that his enhanced laptop would be able to handle and planned out his day. If he was to be honest, the events of yesterday stressed him out a lot, and he needed to relax. That meant taking advantage of the Omnitrix's recreational uses until it came time for Diamondhead's appearance later that day. There was one alien he doubted would see much use, and he would enjoy a chance to experience him in his element, but he had to get there first.

 

XLR8 was the obvious choice, but the day before gave him an idea to experiment with. Before changing, he unlocked his door and left a note saying that he left. Lastly, he plugged up his computer. "I hope this works."

 

1/5 Roll=4 - Success

 

Ben was quickly replaced by Upgrade, who dove into the computer and rode the power cable into the power lines. He zoomed throughout the city much faster than XLR8 could, at the cost of not being able to see where he was unless he stopped at a transformer. He found a spot well enough away from others and close enough to shore for what he wanted. Once alone, he jumped out of the power lines and decided to try changing to who he wanted while skipping his human form. "Here goes."

 

1/5 Roll=4 - Success

 

Upgrade shifted seamlessly into Ripjaws, who performed a twenty foot forward dive into the oceanic waters. His legs shifted into a mermaid-like tail that powered through the bay at exceptional speeds. It was time for him to have a little fun. The first thing on his mind was checking out the Protectorate headquarters, or more specifically, the giant energy shield surrounding the place. He knew from his research that it could take some serious punishment, but there was something special about checking it out first hand.

 

He mostly ignored how everything inside the barrier looked less grey than it should be and swam up to poke the part that was close to the water's surface. When it blocked him, he decided to go the full mile and bit into the shield as hard as he could, which happened to be hard enough to make it flicker a bit. That's when the alarms started blaring.

 

With a surge of panic not unlike a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Ripjaws turned tail and swam along the bay floor as quickly as he could. He sought out somewhere to hide along the shore and found a short pier that the hero remembered was in a section of the docks that the ABB hadn't laid any hard claim to. He could have hid in one of the many underwater wrecks, but he wanted to be close to shore so he could quickly reach dry land. The water under the pier was shallow enough to force him to sit so that his head would be barely peaking out of the water's surface. Once the faint alarms stopped and he settled in, he bust out laughing for a few seconds. "Okay. In hindsight... _really_ stupid idea. I won't be doing anything like that anytime soon." His voice had a growling effect much like the original's voice.

 

"Hello."

 

'Fuck!' he thought.

 

"Is anyone there?" The voice was that of a teenage girl who seemed to be forcing a hard edge to her tone. Regardless, even he could tell that she was a bit nervous.

 

He realized that it would be very easy for him to keep still and quiet until she decided that it was just her imagination, but his curiosity was piqued and what was another few ounces next to a shit ton of stupid. "Hello."

 

He could hear her shock as she shuffled away from the pier. "Are...what are you doing under the pier?" Her voice had become guarded and worried.

 

Ripjaws chuckled at that. "Funny story. I was messing around, poked the hornet's nest, went to hide under a pier, then started talking with a strange girl." Silence... "Oh, sorry about the strange comment. You know, calling you strange?"

 

"I've had worse."

 

"Worse how?" Silence... "Well, I know when someone doesn't want me to pry. Do you have any questions for me?" The silence persisted. "No? Then may I ask why you came over here?"

 

Her response took a few seconds. "Why do you care?"

 

That was a question that he knew from experience that the answer could make or break the conversation, but try as he might, he could only answer simply. "Instinct."

 

"What do you mean by, instinct."

 

 

"I care because you seem like someone worth caring about. And anyways, isn't caring what heroes do."

 

"Yeah, but they don't waste their time with nobodies. I'm nothing special."

 

"Well, believe it or not, I'm enjoying myself. Point me."

 

She snorted a bit, making him smile. "Are you even a hero? You don't sound like one."

 

"What was that thing about covers and books?"

 

"I'll let you know that I've read lots of books, and have no problem saying that you can judge them by their cover."

 

"You're the expert." His thoughts cut off there, leading to another lasting silence. He eventually sighed. "I'm not very good at small talk."

 

She chuckled back at him. "Me either."

 

"Sit in a comfortable near silence until one of us has to leave then?"

 

"Near silence?"

 

"Yeah. I'd still like to know your name."

 

She hummed loudly in thought. "You first."

 

"It's Ripjaws."

 

"Isn't that a little villainous?"

 

"My face isn't family friendly." He thought over his next words carefully. He liked the girl and didn't want to scare her off, but he rationalized that he was unlikely to run into her again, and if he did, it would unlikely be as Ripjaws. He decided to say it. "Do you want to see?"

 

"Are you a mini-Leviathan?"

 

"Nope." Ripjaws was scary looking, but he wasn't like the thirty foot force of nature that was the Endbringer Leviathan. By the tone of her question, he assumed that she did want to see him and worked his way out from under the pier. In moments, the six-plus foot tall piscciss volann was looking down at a pale-faced five-and-a-half foot tall teenage girl. She was gawking at him with a wide mouth and larger than average eyes, making her look like a very expressive person. Even with the baggy clothes she wore, her rail thin frame was obvious to him. Her most striking feature was her long, dark, and curly hair.

 

Meanwhile, she was looking up at the massive fangs sticking up from his lower jaw, his muscular build, and the angler lure on his head. Her eyes trailed down to his four-fingered webbed hands an the sharp black claws. She stopped at the bright green belt he wore over a black scale loincloth that hung down to his feet. The belt's buckle was circular with a glowing green hourglass in the middle. When she looked back up, she found his lower jaw unhinged, revealing a gaping maw that he could fit her head in with room to spare. "Fuck!"

 

She backed away in shock, forgetting entirely about how small the pier was. She had just tried to step onto open air when Ripjaws grabbed her arm in time to save her from a cold bath. "Sorry about that. I thought it would be funny." She didn't have time to respond before the Omnitrix warned him of an imminent timeout. "Crap. Really sorry, but my time's up." He moved her to the middle of the pier then ran to the edge, jumping off with enough force to split the planks. His legs shifted into a tail-fin just as he dove into the water. What followed was a race to find another secluded spot to change back while not being too deep in troubled sections of the city. He was glad that the Omnitrix gave him a full minute of warning first.

 

**Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 11:39 AM.**

**Location: Dock Workers Union Office**

 

The tall teen made her way back to her father's workplace with a plethora of conflicting emotions clouding her mind. The last thing she expected to do while trying to get some fresh air was meet some random cape who was hiding from something. She imagined that he got into a fight with Lung and couldn't put him down faster than the villain could grow in power. She doubted anyone could beat the ABB leader that took on the whole Protectorate and won.

 

The conversation was were most of her conflicted feelings came from. It was the first time that she was able to feel good about herself in over a year, instead of like a bug scurrying away from even the slightest bit of attention. Someone, a cape even, decided to spend their free time talking to her. The good feeling was stifled by a pile of negative explanations, but those explanations didn't have the usual weight. Even his sudden departure was explained by that warning beep. She was a little miffed by that _joke_ of his, but that didn't last when she remembered him looking like a kicked puppy rather than like a terrifying sea monster. He was genuinely upset at the possibly of upsetting her.

 

The part she was most upset over was that it was a one off quirk of chance, one that wouldn't have happened had she not decided to visit her dad while he was doing some unpaid work just so she could get out of the house. There was only two days before she had to be back at the hellhole that was Winslow, but it suddenly wasn't all doom and gloom. Her tormentors _had_ been laying off; she even had the records to prove it. She returned to her father's office wishing that she took the chance to tell him her name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's another chapter. I'm honestly not sure about how this one turned out. It didn't flow like the rest, which is why I edited this one.
> 
> I don't have a new question but I should share the results of the last vote. To no one's surprise, it's the space/time duo of Vista and Clockblocker.
> 
> I've also come up with a condition for unlocking master control. To do so, all 70 aliens must be unlocked. (Laughs villainously) PS: I can't in good conscious keep Overflow as an option. Yes, Overflow was Water Hazard's original concept, but that makes them the same alien in one way of thinking. Cephalopounder is back on the list.
> 
> The list can be found in Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity. I will post it in FF and AO3 when it becomes relevant.


	6. 1-6 Genesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The MC couldn't care less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw some concern over how master control is locked out, but I really don't want a 'hey, I'll unlock master control...oh pooh, I can't,' scene. Let's not get hung up on this. (Seriously. It's how my muse was killed the last time.)
> 
> I should still go with my original idea of the MC being cautious at first before discovering a temporary weakness in Greymatter. I'll explain this weakness when it fits the flow of the scene.

 

  
****It had been twelve hours since the Tetris incident, more than enough time for the mess to be mostly cleaned up. Stinkfly's slime was proving to be really resilient. The PRT scientists that were trying to figure the stuff out actually compared it to containment foam. It wasn't quite as strong nor was it very porous, but it was heat resistant, repelled every solvent they could carry with them, and was very pliable. At the rate things were going, they'd have to scrape some pavement off just to get rid of it.

 

Of course, if it was just that, they wouldn't need any capes on the scene. Apparently an anonymous tip that claimed to be connected to the giant bug cape said that another member was planing a public appearance. That would typically be something that either Armsmaster or Miss Militia would handle directly, but some idiot decided to attack The Rig not even an hour ago. That meant that all of the Protectorate capes had to be on hand in case of an emergency, and it would remain that way for some time. That left Director Piggot with no choice but to send some Wards in to meet the mystery cape. Aegis was indisposed thanks to his parents' policy on national holidays. Gallant, the shining knight in armor that he was, was busy visiting Vicky after her error of judgment last night. Shadow Stalker was a horrible choice for a hopefully peaceful encounter, and Kid Win was on the console.

 

That was why Vista was stuck with the second worse option for a serious conversation between capes. Their mission was two fold: to establish contact with the expected cape and if possible, convince him or her to come to the PRT for power testing and registration. If possible, they were to gather what info they could about his other teammates. She liked Clockblocker enough, but she seriously doubted his ability to not crack a joke at a bad moment.

 

"Do you think he'll be your best friend?" She glanced at the time hero, who was wearing a skintight suit that covered every inch of him, with glossy white armor covering as much as possible without inhibiting his movement. On the plates covering his chest and shoulders were digital clock displays showing different times. "I'll bet he's every girls best friend."

 

Vista rubbed her forehead, not feeling like what he said was worth a full facepalm. "On a scale of one to 'gah, my eyes' how shiny do you think he'll be?"

 

"Ugh, can you please be serious about this. I don't want to screw this up." And she didn't. Through the culmination of multiple instances of chance, she got the opportunity to do a moderately high priority mission. She doubted that the effect would last long as she'd like, but it should let her be seen as more than a twelve-year-old for a while.

 

"Relax. I bet that he'll love my rocken sense of humor." It was difficult to do through her large green visor, but Vista gave him the most baleful glare she was capable of. She felt a small spark of satisfaction when he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay. I'm just messing with you a little." He lowered his hands and squared his shoulders. "I'm serious about you relaxing though. We don't know anything about this guy. For all we know, the child soldier act could be worse than my jokes. How about we put a lid on both of them until we get to know him."

 

A flash of indignation flared up that she kept under control at the risk of looking petulant. As far as she saw it, being a child soldier was pretty close to the truth. Nearly getting impaled by a stray blow from Hookwolf had a way of making facts like that sink in. If not for her chest armor, she would have been impaled. Unfortunately, she had to concede his point. Clockblocker had a way of being infuriatingly smart sometimes.

 

They let the silence last for a while. It wasn't necessary, but what they were doing felt a lot like a stakeout. They were even perched on a building that had the least obstructed view of the Boardwalk. From there, a few liberal applications of Vista's space warping power let them keep an eye out for anything weird. She hoped that he would show before an older team became available. Successfully holding down the fort just didn't have the same weight behind it.

 

Vista jolted in surprise when her ear communicator beeped in response to contact from the console. Clockblocker was a bit quicker on the draw. "What's in, Kid Win?"

 

1/5 Roll=3 Success

 

"We've got a new parahuman sighting in the downtown apartments area. He's a Case 53."

 

The two shared a glance at the news. They, and just about everyone else had been expecting him to show up at the Boardwalk. "Is it Balboa?" That sparked a moment of confusion for Vista, and judging by the quiet mumbling on the other end of the line, Kid Win also missed it. "Seriously. You guys don't recognize Rocky Balboa, the Rocky movies."

 

"You're referencing an Earth Aelph movie!" They had a cape to track down who was already miles away.

 

"What?! The third movie hit theaters a week after Scion showed up. We're having movie night the first chance we get."

 

Vista's power pinched and squeezed at the space between them, forming a raised platform that gave her the perfect position to smack him upside the head. "Clockblocker, focus." She didn't wait for him before reaching out with her power. To her, the maze of concrete and steel was puddy in her hands, clay to be remolded however she pleased. She 'grabbed' the edge of a distant building's roof and pulled. With a single step, she cleared two-hundred feet. After double checking if Clockblocker was following her, she began running as the time hero kept pace with her. She pushed her power hard, eating up distance faster than any car could while running at five mph.

 

"F...crap!" His voice was distorted by the warped space between them.

 

She ignored his ridiculous self-censoring for the importance behind his exclamation. "What's up?"

 

"We forgot that the E88 control parts of that area. We might not be the first there."

 

Clockblocker had the right idea. 'Fuck.'

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:10 PM. **

** Location: Downtown Apartments **

 

Ben had originally planned on doing Diamonhead's public appearance in the Boardwalk or around a mall: pretty much anywhere where there would be plenty of people to see him. The desperate attempt to swim away from anywhere someone could see Ripjaws turn into Ben without resorting to a lifeform-lock had carried him to the abandoned Southern Ferry Station. From there, he used his memories of XLR8's city exploration to guide himself to the apartments.

 

Once the time reached 12:00 on the Omnitrix, he changed into Diamondhead and immediately triggered the lifeform lock. The timing was important because a stray thought from Greymatter hypothesized that the excessively long recharge period he had to deal with after the first time was derived from how long he was locked. It was a two hour lock followed by a four hour recharge. He had planned to lock in Diamondhead since Greymatter came up with the idea, so it was a simple matter to choose a memorable timeframe then do the math.

 

It would be great if he could access the master controls, but neither he nor Greymatter had any idea how to do that. In fact, Greymatter didn't know how to do anything until he opened up that laptop. Even when he was last in his galvan form, Ben's knowledge didn't expand beyond optimizing computers and computer programing. Ken must have had access to his Omnitrix's specs in some way to be able to unlock it the way he did. Ben would have to expand Greymatter's knowledge base the old-fashioned way, unless he got his hands on some Tinker tech.

 

Still, Diamondhead had other things to worry about, like trying to present a positive image when nobody was willing to get too close to him. He certainly had everyone's attention though. That was half the reason he chose Diamondhead for this, with the other half being that Diamondhead was the most heroic looking alien at his disposal in his opinion. He expected human curiosity to take over from there, but hindsight realized that people would be hyper cautious of any new cape, regardless of how heroic they looked. He was hoping that anyone would work up the courage to approach. That's of course when he got his wish.

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:11 PM. **

** Location: Downtown Apartments **

 

The young heroes ran full tilt towards the edge of what was considered to be the outer limits of an acceptable Wards patrol route, all while Vista helped keep them on the rooftops. Lucky for them, they weren't technically on patrol. As a firm believer in Brockton Bay's particular sense of karma, Clockblocker was certain that their tiny bit of luck was about to sink its teeth into both their asses. He glanced at his teammate. She was wearing her forest green chestplate, which amused him in how it emphasized something she didn't have, along with her skirt patterned with wavy green lines at various stages of tinting that did little to properly represent how completely the pre-teen made physics her bitch.

 

Everyone on the team, with one broody exemption, believed that she had the potential to be one of the world's greats. It was the reasoning behind a collective decision the guys made to keep her safe. He saw it for what it was: justification for treating her like a regular twelve-year-old, but Clockblocker felt that she could stand to act a little closer to her age. If and when shit hit the fan, he was ready to stand right in the way. That time may have come sooner than he'd like. His fingers instantly went to his ear. "The Menace to Winston, we've found Sparkles, plus uninvited party guests."

 

He could practically hear Kid Win shaking his head to fight off the smile. "What's the guest list looking like."

 

Clockblocker smiled behind his helmet. "We've got Jiminy Cricket and Ass-le-bastard." Pride welled up when the two failed to contain their mirth. He'd been saving that Alabaster nickname for ages.

 

Vista visibly forced herself to stop laughing and refocus. "We need to help them."

 

"Pigott will have all our heads if you two jump into a cape fight, especially one involving an unknown cape. You know that she'll want you to observe first."

 

Clockblocker was already on that. Alabaster was just as white as his namesake. White suit, flawless white skin, and white hair creapy white eyes, with the only other color being his black handguns. Cricket opted for special forces styled comfort wear with a blond buzzcut and a metal cage over her face, the bars spaced so that it was impossible make anything out through them. Just about every bit of her exposed skin had scars of one type or another.

 

Diamondhead...he lived up to his name. He also had diamond arms, diamond feet, a diamond crest that extended back from the top of his diamond head, and two giant diamond spikes sticking up and out from his shoulder blades. His torso and legs were covered in a skintight sleeveless black top and white leggings, both having a green line down the middle and sides respectively. Last but not least, the glowing green hourglass was displayed right in the middle of his chest. The image Clockblocker got was of a Brute that could take anything the two villains could dish out. "Let's wait it out and see what happens. We'll jump in if we need to. You see if you can get the sound working while I lament our lack of popcorn."

 

Vista shook her head then squeezed together a few thumbprint sized sections of space between the group and their five story rooftop. Cricket instantly went on guard before relaxing a second later. Alabaster tilted his head towards her strangely while her fingers went through some movements. Clockblocker thought they needed to work better on their body language. Still, it looked like Diamondhead missed the play-by-play. "Perhaps I should cut to the chase. All will be forgiven if you come with us to meet with Kaiser." Alabaster's voice was level and smooth, but kind of bland.

 

"And why would I do that?" Diamondhead's voice was not gravely like one would expect. It was smooth and strong, like the kind but firm commanding officer that everyone likes. It was the kind of voice people would instinctively listen to.

 

"We of the Empire are working to bring true prosperity to Brocton Bay. The only way we can achieve this is by cutting away the filth that pollute these streets. After judging your merits, I've deci..."

 

"Bwa ha ha ha!" Diamondhead bent over laughing. "You can't be serious?! Why would I join you? Why would you consider me? I don't exactly fit your target demographic."

 

"A new truth can easily be written. Who would say otherwise?"

 

"So that's your pitch? Nice deal, but no deal. I've already got a team of people that come in every size, shape, and color. Why would I do something stupid like restrict myself."

 

"You'd chose to associate with inferiors."

 

"Hah, the only inferiors I've seen today include an idiot who's too foolish to see the nonsense coming out of his mouth for what it is and a woman who clearly can't handle herself in a fight." Clockblocker winced at that. There was no way there wouldn't be a fight.

 

Sure enough, Cricket charged the stone cape with her small sickles drawn. Diamondhead simply stood there and took the heavy kick to his chest followed by a furious onslaught of slashes that he blocked mostly with his arms. Even so, he wore through it an expression that gave the impression of someone at the emotional stage between concentration and boredom. Cricket continued pushing him back slowly before stopping just long enough to prepare a powerful blow to his left cheek. There was an audible crack as she backed away, her stance and movements looking noticeably smug.

 

Diamondhead scratched at his cheek a bit then looked at the scared cape more attentively. "You're sonokinetic...hmmm. Ah, that's how you see through your mask: echolocation. I'll bet it's how you induce vertigo too." The two Wards gave the other surprised looks. That was info on Cricket they didn't have. "That attack cost you energy, time, and secrets." He paused just as a faint sound like dozens of tiny crystal wind chimes filed the air. "It cost me nothing."

 

There was a gurgling rasping sound that could have been Cricket screaming through her scared throat as she charged him again. Alabaster also joined with his pistols firing as fast as they could. Diamondhead ignored the latter and put his hands in the path of Cricket's sickles. He managed to grab one, but the other slipped his grasp. That's when Alabaster body checked him, throwing them both to the ground. In the tumble, Diamondhead crushed the weapon in his hand and wrapped an arm around Alabaster's body. The white cape may have been able to restore his body after every four seconds or so, but that didn't help when a Brute had you in their grasp with no intention on letting go.

 

With on foe immobilized, the hero focused on Cricket, who was in a defensive stance, then back on the incensed Alabaster, then developed a giant toothed grin visible at a distance that could only be called unadulterated evil. It was the kind of smile that demanded fearful silence.

 

Diamondhead repositioned Alabaster until he had one hand wrapped around his feet. He gave the racist a light swing, and Clockblocker's jaw dropped. "No way."

 

"Tell me he's not."

 

"I don't know if that's terrifying or hilarious."

 

Apparently the Nazi figured it out too, because he began screaming obscenities as if he were actively trying to put them out of style. Cricket looked like she had no idea what to do...after all, its not everyday that someone actually plans to use one of your allies as a weapon. Diamondhead was just about to take the decision out of her hands when a bright light began to shined down from above. Everyone looked up and with the exception of Diamondhead, flinched at the blinding light descending down on them. It was with a sinking sensation of dread that Clockblocker realized that Purity had arrived.

 

Purity was a whopping eight on the Blaster scale, with enough power to level entire city blocks if she wanted to. She just happened to be one of the city's fastest fliers on top of that. Worst of all, she was E88. When she landed, Diamondhead slung Alabaster over his shoulder haphazardly and smiled. "Okay. This just got interesting."

 

The light around Purity dimmed until they could just make out her outline. Her hair and eyes shone with the same blinding light, ensuring that making out her face would be impossible. A much softer rippling glow radiated from the fabric of her plain white costume. She looked shorter than the average woman, but her power and presence could not be underestimated. "Put him down."

 

"No." Clearly, Diamondhead didn't share that mindset. He was taking her more seriously than the other two, but he still gave off the feeling that she wasn't considered to be a threat.

 

Clockblocker wished that the tension was as tangible as it felt. At least in that case, he could reach out and freeze it in time. "I'm afraid I can't let you keep him."

 

The tension continued to ramp up until Diamondhead suddenly sighed. "You know, there's something about you that I'm having a hard time disliking, something familiar, so I'll give you this info for free. You. Can't. Beat. Me. I'm taking this in, and you can't stop me."

 

"F...fricken A. He's trying to bluff Purity." Clockblocker whispered.

 

"You don't know what I'm capable of."

 

Diamondhead chuckled with a shake of his head. "Your powers are public knowledge. You don't know what _I'm_ capable of."

 

"What are you fu..." A flick of Diamondhead's arm slammed Alabaster's head onto the pavement.

 

Four seconds later, his body flickered back into pristine condition. "Quiet. The adults are talking."

 

"Kaiser will hunt..." His head hit the ground with a cringe inducing crack.

 

Diamondhead turned his attention back on Purity and tilted his head in blatant curiosity. "You should really wear a mask. I'm not good with faces, but I swear you look familiar." Purity's light grew brighter, but Diamondhead ignored her and Alabaster in favor of his thoughts. "I remember. You're that woman that first saw Ghostfreak. How's the baby?"

 

A bolt of hard light smacked him in the forehead, snapping his head back then ricocheting up into the corner of the building that the two Wards were looking down from. The two ducked out of sight, but Vista was still able to maintain the bits of warped space that allowed them to eavesdrop. "Okay, don't poke the overprotective motherbear."

 

"That...was a warning shot. Stay away from her!"

 

"I am a hero mam, and I consider children innocent of their parents' crimes. My only concern is if you raise her to repeat your mistakes."

 

There was a moment of silence, during which Clockblocker could feel his heart hammering in his chest. That conversation really towed the line of what was considered acceptable cape conduct. Just telling a cape that you know who they are could have serious consequences. Actually taking advantage of it...Clockblocker would never want to be in the shoes of someone either stupid or crazy enough to break The Unwritten Rules. Rumor had it that the E88 flunky that killed Fleur days after New Wave went public with their identies was personally crucified by Kaiser. Diamondhead had to be _really_ confident in being able to take Purity on.

 

"My daughter will make her own mistakes."

 

There was another pause, during which Vista decided it was safe enough to start looking again. He followed after the pre-teen, ready to save her at a moments notice. "Interesting." The group of capes came into view just in time for him to see Diamondhead tossing Alabaster haphazardly towards the other E88 members. "You can have him back. He'll make a great training dummy for the others."

 

His body flickered again, restoring both his body and clothes. "Fuck you! When Kaiser hears about this, he will make you pay."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll rue the day blah blah blah. I'm going to leave now." And leave he did. No one stopped him.

 

Purity was next to leave, but slowed her departure when she took notice of the Wards that had just watched over the entire exchange. Clockblocker considered it good luck that they weren't blasted on principal. "Crap, that was nerve wracking. His head must not be the only thing that's diamond." Space warped so that the eight inch shorter and four foot away Vista could smack the back of his head. He chuckled a bit at that. "Come on. Let's get to him before any _more_ villains show up."

 

The comunicater in his ear buzzed. "You know that Director Piggot will want a full report on what you saw by tonight."

 

"Don't worry. I know how to do Professor Piggy's homework."

 

Vista shook her head, and he imagined Kid Win doing the same. "Make sure that I'm nowhere near you when she catches you saying that."

 

"Ditto. I can turn an inch into a mile, and it still wouldn't be far enough."

 

"Someone save me. They're ganging up on me. I need a hero. You guys think Diamondhead is up for the job?"

 

"Why don't you two go find out. Kid Win out."

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:23 PM. **

** Location: Downtown Apartments **

 

That had been an exciting yet stressful encounter. Cricket and Alabaster were one thing, but Purity was completely unexpected. From what he knew of her powers, Diamondhead had a clear advantage, but the collateral damage would have been substantial. He would need his full arsenal of skills to handle her. Fortunately, his instincts were right again.

 

A perversion of three dimensional law suddenly stretched out and deposited two Wards right in front of him. Vista, who could warp and twist space and Clockblocker who had the power to quantum lock anything he touched for a random time between thirty seconds to ten minutes. Ben laughed when he found the video of him loudly announcing his name during his introduction ceremony. He probably would have gotten the name Freezetag otherwise. They looked ready to say something, but Diamondhead beat them to the punch. "Just the kind of people I was looking for. I would like to officially register myself and my team as heroes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was fun. My phone's battery has been on the fritz lately, and it affected my speed a bit. (I get distracted easily writing on the computer.) I have two polls for this chapter and another planed for the next.
> 
> Which should be the fake team's name. (The MC will never share what the acronyms mean.)
> 
> [] PAP: Plumber's Ambassador Program  
> [] PAI: Plumber's Ambassador Initiative  
> [] OASIS: Omni-Assistance in Safeguarding Intelligent Species
> 
> The MC will participate in power testing. How will the PRT test his capabilities? (His ranged powers will be kept secret. Feel free to edit your ideas and votes anytime.)
> 
> [] Write in


	7. 1-7 Genesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another reminder of the randomness poll available in SB and SV. You can change your vote anytime, and master control is unlocked by unlocking all the listed aliens.
> 
> The votes were pretty polarized, SB liking PAP and SV liking PAI. Once OASIS became an option, things were pretty unanimous. Having the Plumbers was just going to be a hidden joke for the MC to chuckle at while the ambassador part was to imply that 'they' were aliens. OASIS fills the later roll just as well without the MC having to be coy about the first initial.
> 
> People also seemed to have the idea that Diamondhead is a Striker. Strikers can create weapons, but Changers can reshape their bodies into weapons.
> 
> Lastly, sorry for the delay. Strangely enough, my creativity comes from a tea I drink, which gives a persistent headache from prolonged use. It didn't help that Mardis Gras is very busy for a liquor store in Louisiana.

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:25 PM. **

** Location: Parahuman Response Team HQ **

 

"Ah, the thick and slow moving lifeblood of all administrations: paperwork."

 

The twenty something year old receptionist chuckled at his metaphor before handing the papers over. "Remember that most of the personal information is optional. It's mostly there if you want to express more open trust in the PRT and Protectorate."

 

"Thank you miss. I shouldn't be long." He grabbed the offered papers and perused the documents for a few minutes. He did leave most of the optional stuff alone, but he couldn't ignore putting down a home address. The half-truth should be an ironclad armor for his civilian self, and should be pretty funny when the implications sink in for the public. He just had to make sure to paint a benevolent picture.

 

Next he had to decided which of the twelve power ratings Diamondhead fit into. Brute was obvious, and he was planing to show off his Changer powers as well. As for his Blaster and Shaker powers. As one awesome bug master once said: "While one ace in the hole is good, two are better." He couldn't be 100% sure that his power information wouldn't become public at some point before he wanted it to be. In fact, there is history on PHO that shows PRT officers leaking such information. His secrets will be revealed on his own terms, likely when it's most necessary...or funny. If a foe forced him to reveal his ability to swap forms mid combat, they will have a very bad day.

 

He handed the young woman his papers and waited smugly. He had to fight to keep himself from looking too smug until the nearby door opened to admit another pair of heavily armored PRT troupers to add to the pair that was already watching over him. "Director Piggot will see you now."

 

The four formed a trapezoidal formation which boxed him in after Diamondhead walked into it. He was just able to catch the woman gaping at him in incredulity. From there, he allowed the troupers to guide him away from the public section of the PRT HQ, which included a giftshop of all things. The Omnitrix hero glanced up at the sprinklers that populated the ceiling, knowing that they weren't just packing water. He figured that if he did get foamed, he could grow crystals out from his body until he had space to escape. It was fun thinking of such things even if he didn't have to.

 

They reached an elevator that was only big enough to fit three if them. The ride up proved to be far smoother than any normal elevator had any right to be. The little shifts in g-forces were all the fun in them. He thought with amusement that the PRT sucked the fun out of anything. He was sobered by the idea that the joke was likely true. When they reached the director's door, the officer on the left knocked. They were admitted in in under a minute.

 

The director was a serious, almost angry looking. Ben was distinctly reminded of the overweight black woman from the "Mine are bigger" scene from Justice League. He hoped that things wouldn't have to resort to dick waving just to keep the peace between them. It was a good thing that he was already planning on throwing her a bone...hopefully. At her back was another PRT trooper, and Clockblocker surprisingly enough. He had expected any of the older heroes, but the time hero would make for a solid defense should he get violent. The kid was a bit professional during the short trip to the PRT HQ, but Ben liked him.

 

He took notice of the seat provided for him. "Please, take a seat."

 

"If it's all the same, I'd like to remain standing."

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I insist."

 

He returned her glare. "As do I."

 

That continued for a while, one bearing a face made of immovable stone, and the other being a stubborn alien. "Fine. Suit yourself." The hero let himself have a little smile. He had always wanted to tell someone that he preferred standing. "Why don't we start with a first hand account of what happened between you and the E88."

 

"What kind of information are you looking for?" Ben always felt that knowing what others were looking for from him usually got the best results.

 

Experience failed to remind him that usually people either didn't know what they wanted, or didn't care to share. "Start from the beginning."

 

"I was out minding my own business when the E88 decided that I was trespassing on public streets. I tuned out his rambling until Alabaster decided that I'd make a good recruit. I...refused, then we fought. They couldn't hurt me much, so it was easy until Purity showed up. The conversation got a bit heated, but things ended with only minor coalateral damage."

 

"If you were worried about coalateral damage, then why did you provoke them?" If anything, she seemed even more stonefaced.

 

Diamondhead tilted his head at her question, wondering how she came about that information. "They weren't a threat to me, so I figured that I could bring one of them in."

 

"Then Purity showed up," she said, interrupting him, "who you also proceeded to provoke."

 

"To be fair, I was trying to be friendly. Hindsight tells me that mentioning her baby wasn't the best of ideas." That may haven't been obvious at the time, but Piggot's disapproval was. "When I saw that she was willing to test me, I decided to hand Alabaster over to avoid a destructive fight in a populated area." Of course, that was a hindsight explanation. The biggest reason for his surrender was something else entirely.

 

Director Piggiot sighed noticeably and seemed to struggle with something for a few seconds. "I see. Tell me about your team: powers, goals, strengths, weaknesses, and where you came from."

 

"I've already provided our goals and origins in the documents you had me fill out, and I feel no need to repeat myself. Our chosen names are pretty telling towards our power sets and appearances. The only thing that we all agreed that you need to know that hasn't already been provided would be our weaknesses."

 

As he talked, she became less and less expressive...until he mentioned weaknesses. Her following expression could have been called excitement if you were feeling generous. "Why?"

 

"Let's see. Why don't we use myself as an example." He began pacing back and forth while adopting a lecturing tone. "As you would logically guess, I am remarkably durable. This makes me an excellent frontline combatant in any serious engagement, since I can safely ignore friendly fire while taking the fight directly to the threat. The only thing I really need to worry about is if one of my alies is capable of powerful sonic attacks."

 

He paused to give them a moment to digest the information. "Triumph."

 

"Exactly. I am vulnerable to powerful sonic attacks, the exact kind that Triumph can produce. We are alies in this, so it would be very awkward if I were seriously injured simply because he was not aware of my weakness. Knowing our weaknesses will also let you know what situations we will actively avoid."

 

"So we can trust that the information you give us is accurate."

 

"Just as we are trusting you not to leverage our weaknesses against us unnecessarily or to release them publicly."

 

The director almost smiled. "Fine, why don't you start with Ghostfreak."

 

"Ghostfreak's weakness is light, sunlight especially. He is at his most powerful in absolute darkness. His protective outer skin can protect him from being vaporized, but it limits his power further. He wouldn't last seconds fully exposed against unfiltered sunlight."

 

"And when can we expect to see him for official testing?"

 

"I can't be sure."

 

Her gaze narrowed. "Why not?"

 

"Because I don't want to commit to a decision on someone else's behalf. Our team doesn't have a leader. I am only our public face."

 

She looked him over, his blue/green gem-like skin shinning in the light of the room, his strong jawed features, and the way every movement let out a sound like crystal windchimes. "Of course you are. What about else can you share about him."

 

Diamondhead visibily thought the question over. "His invisibility and intangibility can be neutralized by a certain compound. Your containment foam may contain these compounds. Greymatter would like a sample to analyzed. If I'm wrong, the compound I speak of may prove effective against other individuals capable of intangibility. We'll provide a sample as soon as we're able."

 

"That's...generous of you." He was pretty sure she was suspicious of the offer.

 

"Of course. It's only natural to arm our allies against our enemies."

 

She hummed in thought over his words. "What about XLR8?"

 

"He is impulsive and can react only so fast to sudden changes in friction. Liberal applications of lubricants, adhesives, and rough surfaces will limit his options."

 

"Stinkfly."

 

"His wings don't do well when wet. Any liquid will ground him until dry."

 

"Greymatter."

 

Diamondhead chuckled a bit. "By your classification, Grey matter would be a Brute -2." Her raised eyebrows confirmed her desire for elaboration. "He's five inches tall."

 

"So he's a fun sized hero?"

 

Clockblocker straitened up at her reproachful glare. When she was satisfied that he was properly mollified, her attention was back on the petro-sapien. "Upgrade."

 

"Powerful magnetic fields would neutralize him easily. As a freebe, you don't want to be a Tinker against him."

 

"And I don't suppose that you'll tell me why?"

 

"We'd like to keep some surprises to ourselves. Think of it like getting a surprise birthday present."

 

"I hate surprises." He should have seen that response coming. "And the rest?"

 

"Let me think for a second... Ripjaws doesn't do well out of water, and can't breath if his gills are dehydrated. Heatblasts powers are severely reduced if he's covered in fire suppressants. Wildmut has no eyes and lacks a mouth capable of forming standard words. He uses smell to sense the world around him, so a stink bomb would 'blind' him. Four Arms is large, and has trouble with cramped spaces. I'll bet that Vista would be a nightmare for him to fight."

 

"And that's all of you. Is there anything you can tell me about your team in general."

 

Diamondhead smiled. "I was hoping that you would ask." No eyebrows were raised. "The most important weakness of our team as a whole is that only one of us is allowed to be active at any moment. If you see one of us, I can guarantee that no one will see one of the others elsewhere. It is an unfortunate limitations put upon us, but there is nothing we can do about it."

 

"And you expect me to believe that, on just your word?"

 

Diamondhead returned her accusing glare with a firm one. "I expected you to come to this conclusion yourself over time, so I saved you the headache. Now I get the feeling that you have trust issues. Perhaps you'd prefer that I feed you false info. At least your paranoia would be justified."

 

The two glared angrily at one another in a battle of wills. If there was anything that Ben hated with a passion, it was having his integrity questioned. Still, rage was an unpleasant and short lived emotional for him, so he settled into controlled anger. She seemed to take his changed stance as a win. "If you want any of my trust, you'll give us something concrete."

 

Crystal spikes threatened to spring from his arms at her behavior. He was sure that his arms suddenly resembling an echidna's back would not go over well. "I was planning on power testing, but I'm sorely tempted towards a change in plans." That cowed her stance. Diamondhead relaxed the prickling sensation in his arms. "Clearly this isn't going well. I hope our next meeting will be smoother." He turned toward the door and tried to open it. "It's locked." He checked and saw her giving him the same harsh glare he'd seen a number of times. "You can learn what I'm capable of through power testing, or by me going through your defenses."

 

Clockblocker looked tense and ready to close the distance at a moment's notice. It wouldn't let him get past the crystalline barrier he'd raise as he tore the door of its hinges. The door unlocking made sure it didn't come to that. "Thank you." He opened it and paused halfway through. "You should treat your allies better. You'll never know whenever you may need their unconditional support."

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 12:58 PM. **

** Location: Parahuman Response Team HQ **

 

Viktor Romaine had things he loved and things he hated. For starters, he hated that there was an active supervillain with the same name as him within the city. He loved that he worked in the city with one of the highest parahuman-per-capital concentrations of the country. He hated that most of them were unwilling to participate in proper exploration of their powers. And he loved any opportunity to test a new parahuman's abilities...but what was being presented to him was so far beyond the standard, he could scarcely comprehend it.

 

When DNA samples were extracted from Stinkfly's organic adhesive, he immediately began testing it as per standard procedure. The results he got this morning were mildly interesting, relatively speaking, until he started fact checking. Stinkfly's DNA didn't just spit in the face of Case 53 genetics, it danced a merry jig over the shattered remains of known genetics.

 

He wasn't ashamed to admit that he was a bit obsessed with the mystery, enough that he nearly ignored an opportunity to put another parahuman through their paces. He read what information was available, a habit that helped avoid stepping on toes, then froze when the pieces fell into place. If everything lined up, he could be in on the discovery of the century. He managed to muster some scepticism, but his excitement was overwhelming.

 

When he set eyes on Diamondhead, his attention was fully dedicated to determining any distinctive traits. He'd seen nearly everything as a parahuman researcher. What stood out to him the most was so small and inconsequential, the kind of thing that the average person would dismiss without a single thought: four fingers. He would be double checking, but he could not remember any Case 53 having an unusual number of fingers when they had them. He really had to stop relying on memory for such things.

 

He snapped his self back into focus and held out his hand in greetings. "Hello, Diamondhead. It's a pleasure to meet you."

 

There was a small delay during which the hero took notice of Viktor. "No problem sir. Will you be presiding over the tests?"

 

"Yes. I understand that you've identified yourself as a Brute and Changer. The Brute tests are very straight forward, but Changer test are more variable." His mind blanked out, frustrated that the need for pleasantries were delaying his desire to ask the real questions.

 

"My Changer powers aren't too complicated. I can reshape my arms into simple weapons and grow spikes from anywhere on my body."

 

"That sounds simple enough. But we'll need to test your speed and variation. Well start with your Brute tests first. We'd also like to have a tissue sample, if we can get one."

 

"Oh that's easy." The cape held up his hand, which reshaped into a heavily spiked stub. He plucked a spike straight out without any signs of discomfort and handed it over for Viktor to examine. It was fantastic. He was no geologist, but he could best compare it to a fusion of blue quartz and the shine of diamond. A jeweler might consider it valuable, but Viktor was far more interested in its scientific worth.

 

He wanted to ask, but he felt like when he tried to ask out his significant other. He guessed that the other guy would be bringing it up this time too if ever.

 

They reached the testing room with the only sounds being the footsteps of the cape and their escorts. The room resembled a normal gym more than anything else, albeit with much heavier duty equipment. The deadlift station was a thick one ton reinforced steel bar designed to withstand 200 tons of gravitational force when used properly. It was connected to weights that matched that limit. The stress test room was where they fired at the cape until something stuck. Their first destination was the punching machine. "Hit this as hard as I can?"

 

"We'd like three samples please."

 

Diamondhead smiled and threw a few test punches that were in the heavyweight boxer range. After a few jabs, he threw a powerful blow that easily surpassed anything thrown by Battery or Aegis, coming very close to Glory Girl's record. Two more blows came out, making Viktor nod at the respectable display. "Well done. Now let's see how strong your deadlift is."

 

Rather than move on, Diamondhead smirked back at him. "What are you talking about? That was just the warmup." Diamondhead's stance changed completely. His feet dug into the floor and his torso twisted away from his target. Viktor had seen enough PRT troopers testing themselves against the machine to know that he was doing something few capes did: putting his full body into the blow. But it still didn't explain the growing force behind each subsequent punch. Diamondhead shattered the Brockton Bay Brute record thrice over, and Viktor swore that he could feel the power of the third blow in his bones.

 

"Hey guys. What did I miss?" The three normal humans went from sharing nervous glances to visually confirming the addition of Clockblocker and Vista.

 

"This." Viktor knew that he felt the fourth one.

 

"Holy fuuuuge-biscuits! Remind me never to tick you off."

 

"That's nothing. You should see what Four Arms can do." The scientist made a mental note to keep this Four Arms away from the punching machine.

 

The deadlift station was less surprising, with Diamondhead stopping at ten tons, which made Viktor worry about how the cape was generating the force in his punches. Either way, he wouldn't be tearing out of containment foam on his own. Finally came the stress test.

 

** Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 1:58 PM. **

** Location: Parahuman Response Team HQ **

 

That meeting with Diamondhead could have gone better in Emily Piggot's opinion. She had misjudged how much she could pressure him before he pushed back. Things weren't helped by how different he felt when even compared to normal parahumans. As things ended, she figured it would be best to avoid thinking about Diamondhead until the time came to read his threat assessment. That time came when an even more sheepish than usual Viktor. "Ratings and why."

 

"Brute 7 and Changer 4 with a sub-rating as a Striker 1. Diamondhead is remarkably durable; with his permission, we hit him with the deadliest weapons we had at our disposal and didn't leave a scratch. He claims that if he is injured, he can regenerate to a point. Alone, those wouldn't be enough to be a 7, until he leverages his Changer power.

 

"He can produce spikes from anywhere on his body, which he often used to anchor his feet to the ground. That gave him excellent maneuverability and the ability to not be pushed back despite weighing around 500 pounds. His arms can also be reshaped into any simple weapon he can think of, including claws, clubs, swords, shields, spears, and maces.

 

"His Striker rating is because he can produce the same weapons apart from his body, though it takes time. He also created some ranged weapons at my request. When it came time to put everything together...well, I think seeing it would be best."

 

Viktor handed over a little storage device which Emily plugged into its dedicated slot. In seconds, she had an image of Diamondhead standing in the middle of the melee combat arena. "So, you guys want to see my worst?"

 

"We want your best actually, but you've got the idea." Diamondhead chuckled at the joke as he got into a ready stance. "We begin in three...two...one."

 

Diamondhead took off like a shot and tore through the first inch thick steel target with his clawed fingers as if it were paper then speared another with a pick shaped arm. He followed through to the ground, halting his momentum then throwing himself along the outside of the arena with a shield shaped arm between him and the majority of targets. To Emily, it looked like he was treating the exercise as an actual combat scenario. It was somewhat disturbing how little he cared for the integrity of his 'foes.' Then he started laughing.

 

"He claimed that it was a psychological tactic." Viktor must have caught her eyes widening. "If you ask me,I think he was enjoying himself...a lot."

 

He did seem to have a certain maniacal joy about him as he pulled the spikes out of his back the threw one like a boomerang while the other became the sword to his shield. The video continued as Diamondhead eviscerated the defenseless steel cutouts with efficient brutality. Mental images of live troopers overlapped with his victims, making Emily's diabetic blood run cold. His continued laughing didn't help.

 

She almost forgot to notice that he was approaching a small foam trap that some more sadistic members of the testing staff put in. When he tripped it, a pile of sickly yellow foam encompassed his right leg. The independent hero's guard dropped for a few seconds before he pulled his leg out after only one second. The director's finger found the pause button faster than she ever thought it could. "How?"

 

"He grew a crystal shell around his leg. Containment foam doesn't work if it's not in direct contact." That explained the Brute 7 rating. No standard weapons they had would be able to suppress him.

 

The demonstration ended yet the video continued. "Sweet Jesus, remind me never to get on _your_ bad side."

 

There was a sharp smack to the back of his head, curtousy of Vista. "You already said that."

 

"I said something _like_ it, and I added emphasis this time."

 

"No. But one, it was fun, and two, I wanted to show you how I would fight in a worst case scenario. Your director gave me that impression."

 

He knew…somehow he knew that she would be watching. The smirk on his face like announcing his true intent from rooftops and through speakers. There had to be more to the message, but all she picked up on was a emphatic 'don't mess with me.' "Tell me you managed to get some samples."

 

The doctor's mood shifted into something much more positive in a blink. "Of course. Diamondhead was very accommodating. He provided a shard of himself within seconds of me asking for it. We even have the created weapons and the foot cast. We won't be short on samples for some time. We already found something fascinating." She didn't bother asking for an explanation that was coming regardless. "Vista brought to my attention that she was having difficulty with the area we piled the samples at. It turns out that they are still alive for a short while after Diamondhead left."

 

"They're Manton Protected."

 

"Fascinating, isn't it?" That was one word for it. "If he could figure out how to spread living crystal over the area, he'd be a nightmare for most Shakers. I must get some fresh samples to calculate a timeframe before it becomes just rock."

 

"Does he know about this?"

 

He made a show of thinking it over. "I can't say for sure, but I'd give it a 92% no."

 

That was another quirk of his that irked her. He never could commit to a hard yes or no. She was going to worry about that 8%. "Fine. See if the samples respond to certain sound waves. Involve Triumph as soon as you can…it's his weakness as he says," she added at his questioning expression.

 

"Ah, of course. Like glass shattering under certain frequencies. That will let us consider him to be a Brute 6 if we can leverage Triumph against him.…Is something the matter?"

 

He must have caught the few seconds of her rubbing her temples. He sure picked a fine moment to be observant for once. "I'm lost." That was something she hated to admit. ”A new team of completely unheard-of and extra abnormal Case 53s popped out of nowhere in the middle of this powderkeg we call home. They even seem to know what there strengths and weakness are. It makes me wonder about some shadow organization of all things."

 

"Mam, didn't you read his documentation?"

 

She didn't. New capes always wanted to keep their identities secret, so useful information was a rarity on registration forms. That segue implied that her chief researcher thought that wasn't the case this time.

 

He put Diamondhead down as his name. Address: Petropia. Race: Petrosapien. Team Name: OASIS - Omni-Assistance in Safeguarding Intelligent Species. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?! Don't tell me that you're taking this seriously!"

 

"It's…plausible." That wasn't the answer she wanted. "As you should know, DNA testing on Case 53s has proven that they are as human as the rest of us." She nearly scoffed at that. "I doubt that we'll be getting a DNA sample from Diamondhead, but the DNA from Stinkfly's goop is only around a 20% match for human DNA so far."

 

"That only means that he's not human. He could actually be a bio-construct." Dark memories turned her blood cold and made her heart beat against her chest. "I think I prefer the crazy answer."

 

"Then you're in luck. No matter how what Tinkers do flies in the face of knowable science, they can't go beyond the materials they have to work with. Most of the insects we know of are around a 60% match for human DNA. Bananas are 50%. Stinkfly's DNA is not of this world."

 

After she took a moment to mentally review the information, she took a deep breath. "Did you ask him about it?" He looked down abashed. "Are you telling me that you came across a claim like that and _didn't_ question it?!"

 

"I was nervous."

 

"You are a grown man, not some teenager asking out your crush! We need answers and you let the only source walk out without getting any!" She gave him a few seconds before her final word. "I have a recording of Diamondhead disclosing the weaknesses of his team. I'm willing to _entertain_ the idea that he told the truth if his own weakness checks out. As for everything else, we keep a lid on it. I don't want the kind of panic that even the idea could cause."

 

"Mam, I think that most people will take the idea of heroic…"

 

"No! You are not being paid to think. You are being paid to…" She had just realized what she said as a smirk developed on Viktor's face. "Im more worried about the minorities. Now get out of my office!"

 

"Mam yes mam." After a crisp salute, he was out of her hair. Wishing she could drink, Emily Piggot pulled out her dialysis machine and began a session hours before she usually would. She needed it too. You

 

**Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 2:10 PM.**

**Location: Clements Household**

 

Preparing to leave that morning: check. Unlocking the door and leaving a note: check. Leaving unconventionally and messing around: check. Having an enjoyable random encounter: check. Engaging lifeform lock at exactly noon: check. Having another enjoyable encounter: check. Introducing Diamondhead to the heroes: close enough. Finding a secluded spot to turn human at around 2:20 pm: check. Coming back home to a pair of parental figures who are thankful for at least some kind of notification: two very young looking and frowning faces. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

 

"I do right now." That wasn't the right thing to say. At the least, it left them at a loss for what to say.

 

Mrs Clements took a cleansing breath "You snuck out without us noticing. This city isn't safe. Madison was just telling us about a cape fight downtown."

 

Ben pursed his lips to avoid smiling at the mentioning of his recent encounter. It wasn't hard for Mr. Clements to pick up on his lack of a poker face. "You were there, weren't you?" Ben's expression got even tighter. "That was a cape fight! You could have been hurt!" He was really tempted to tell them that it wasn't much of a fight. "Just…go up to your room. We need to talk about this later."

 

"Okay." Ben returned to his room and turned on his computer. He had researched the villains of Brockton Bay, but his information was imperfect. A dossier on all the local capes and famous ones not tied to one city, along with how he would deal with them, would not be amiss.  He also needed to increase the knowledge base that Greymatter can pull from. There was also confirming the price of the lifeform lock. If he was right about it being twice the duration of the transformation, the Omnitrix will be ready at 7. He'd eventually have to build something that can actually analyze the Omnitrix for Greymatter to figure out. Messing around with it without knowing what to do was not a risk he was willing to take.

 

Most importantly, there were people in trouble as he sat safe in his room. His very first outing was proof of that. He could become the most powerful person there in the world given time, but that wouldn't help any others suffering now. There was so much for to do, so he'd do what he feels like when he feels like it. It worked in his past life.

 

What he felt like doing was hunting down forced prostitution and rape. They would smell of gunpowder, drugs, sex, and fear, if fear has a distinct smell. He had the perfect alien to find them with.

 

He spent the next few hours planning for his next excursion, even realizing a potential hiccup to his plan. In the meantime, he began working on his dossier with scientific and Tinker research on the side. At around 6, he heard a knocking at his door. "Ben, can we talk?"

 

"Sure. Come in."

 

Mrs. and Mr. Clements wore worried and stern expressions respectively. "Alright son. We talked it over for a while, and came up with a few answers for how you ran out. There's no delicate way to ask this, so I'll come out with it. Benjamin Tennyson, are you a cape?"

 

Ben could confidently say that he blinked dumbly at the question. By their expressions, there was no point in hiding it. "Hypothetically, what would you say if the answer is yes?"

 

They shared a glance, during which they somehow communicated that Patricia would take over. "We'd ask you to join the Wards. They're safer, and you can easily get into Arcadia."

 

"And what if I asked you guys to keep it secret, from the Heroes and Madison?"

 

Mathew took that without missing a beat. "We're ready to support you on that, but we need to know more."

 

Ben decided that there was no point in the hypothetical game anymore. "Keeping secrets like that from those close to you usually doesn't work well for long, but I was hoping to keep it long enough to really trust you."

 

"You don't trust us?"

 

Ben chuckled at her question. "We've known each other for a day. I'm fairly trusting, but that's a little much." He tried to give them a serious impression. "I'm powerful, and people may want that for themselves. Even if they don't, they still may try messing with something they could never understand. I need to keep the true nature of my abilities secret. The risks are too high not to."

 

"How high a risk are we talking about son?"

 

"The worst case is worse than you could imagine. I can't even imagine it, but I refuse to risk it unless I know I can stop it. I'll tell you everything soon, but I want to get settled in first. Next week, okay."

 

They shared a glance then looked back at him. "Will you stay safe until then?"

 

He shook his head at her. "I made plans to go out again after 7. I can't sit back when I know I can help."

 

"And if we forbid it?"

 

"I can sneak out easily."

 

"And if we tell the PRT about this?" The two men, one in a much younger body, glared at each other. Eventually, Mathew relented. "Alright, but we want to see you back before midnight. If you're not, we're calling the PRT first thing."

 

That came as a small surprise. "Oh. I was planning on stopping at 10. I should be home before 11."

 

They shared another round of nonverbal communication then smiled. "Okay. Now come down. Dinner's ready."

 

**Time: Saturday, Jan. 1st, 7:07 PM.**

**Location: Shantytown**

 

1/5 Roll=5 - Success

 

The Omnitrix unlocked close enough to 7 to confirm his theory. With that in mind, he'd have to save lifeform locks for night and emergencies. After reassuring his parental figures, he changed into Upgrade and rode the power lines to near his first encounter as Ghostfreak. "Okay Omnitrix, command code 1-0-1-0, Tennyson, Benjamin. Prepare life form lock for next alien form, set for three hours."

 

"Acknowledged. Next form will be locked for three hours. Please select new form."

 

"Wow, that worked. Well, it's time for a wild hunt for Wildmut."

 

1/5 Roll=4 - Success

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A full week delay for this one. I doubt that the next chapter will be much faster: I'm a Zelda fan. The next chapter should be fairly large too. This one's 50% bigger than usual.
> 
> I know that people had a high estimation of Diamondhead's power, but I stuck with something more quantifiable than Vilgax survived twelve nukes. I did add a fun surprise though. Which supervillain did Diamondhead potentially tic off again?
> 
> Another thing about Master Control, we've seen it a number of times, but I've never seen a concrete way to unlock it. It was always off screen or through random turning of the dials. That uncertainty would make my SI hesitate for fear of triggering something bad. Also, how will Greymatter study something as complex as the Omnitrix when it's stuck on his back.
> 
> Finally, it's time for votes, even though I know the results. Who should Wildmut encounter?
> 
> []Shadow Stalker  
> []Purity  
> []Undersiders  
> []Lung/Oni Lee  
> []Cluster****it. (AKA all of the above.)


End file.
